


Senki Zesshou Symphogear F

by KaguyaDex



Category: Senki Zesshou Symphogear
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Inspired by Roleplay/Roleplay Adaptation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:06:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 24,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24088597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaguyaDex/pseuds/KaguyaDex
Summary: Faced with the threat of the Noise, monsters of unknown origin, Japan's Singular Disaster Anti-Riot Unit Section 2 and the UN agency BOARD have formulated a new project to mass-produce Symphogears: Project Forte.This is the story of four girls chosen to become the songstresses of fate.Adaptation of a roleplay. Canon divergence from the original series.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. Prologue: Before the Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> This is an adaptation of a roleplay conducted with a bunch of friends over discord. Cast as follows:  
> OverDess- Game Master/All NPC roles  
> NaotoEmpyrea- Misaki  
> Brown Chronicle- Luna  
> Me- Uruha  
> Klinkin- Haruka
> 
> Enjoy!

Symphogear F prologue

Tsukikage Misaki finished her last set of bench presses with a grunt, setting the 100-kilogram barbell back onto the rack. She took the chance to catch her breath while wiping down the bench.

“Alright! That was a fun workout!” she congratulated herself as she checked her phone. “Oh crap, I better head off before I’m late…” She quickly grabbed her water bottle before rushing off to the shower.

————————————————————

“Thou be but a flicker in the twilight, but forever a star in my heart…”

Ichikawa Luna whispered into the ear of her brunette companion, the girl tensing up with a tiny gasp. Luna pulled away and cupped the girl’s cheek, her black locks concealing their faces as she leaned in…

“Aaaannddd SCENE! Great job, Ichikawa-san!” Another girl yelled from the foot of the stage, excitedly waving a megaphone around.

“No problem, Mikazuki-senpai,” Luna smoothly pulled away from the mimed kiss, smiling at the stage director. Her co-star let out a tiny moan of disappointment.

“Alright time to wrap up for today!” The director clapped her hands, calling out to the rest of the drama club.

Luna casually peeked at her phone, her eyes widening when she noted the time. It was that late already? She quickly slipped over to the director, gently grasping her wrist.

“Apologies, senpai, but I have a prior appointment I need to get to urgently? May I have your permission to take my leave?” Luna whispered to her senior, trying to keep her voice low so as not to draw attention from the rest of the club.

Unfortunately this made her voice come out in a smooth low tone, not helped by the fact that she’s right beside her senior’s ear in her rush to talk to her. Mikazuki tensed up at the close contact.

“Uh…Ah…” Her brain short-circuited momentarily before whispering a “Yes…”

Luna pulled away happily, thanking the gods that she wouldn’t be late. “I thank you wholeheartedly, senpai! I shall take my leave, but I will be here early for whatever you wish of me tomorrow!” She winked at her senior and her co-star from earlier in what she thought was a mischievous manner, but only served to make the girls’ hearts skip a beat.

“Seriously, that girl will be the death of me…” Mikazuki placed a hand over her chest to calm her racing heart, while the brunette actress sighed longingly.

“Luna-san is such a romantic…”

————————————————————

Luna hurried out of the practice building, glancing at her phone’s clock again. She prayed five minutes was enough to make it.

“Actually, let’s take that shortcut…” she muttered to herself, taking a hard left and slipping between a row of bushes into a beaten grassy path. She barely got a few meters before she heard a voice above her head.

“Oh, hey, LuLu!” Luna knew that cheery tomboyish voice anywhere. The fact that said voice came from above her, though…

“Hi, Misa-Wait, what are you doing?” Whatever Luna expected to see, it wasn’t her roommate hanging off a tree by the straps of her bag.

“Ahaha…” Misaki scratched the back of her head sheepishly as she swung her legs. Luna thanked the gods again that Lydian was an all-girls school, because Misaki’s skirt was fluttering dangerously high up her waist as her legs flailed.

“See, I was going to meet ya, and I heard this meowing, so I popped over to see what was happening, and there was this adorable little kitten stuck in this tree, so I got up here to save it…” Misaki started trailing off, her eyes hovering upwards and to her right.

“And the cat managed to get down, but you got stuck?” Luna sighed.

“Exactly!” Misaki sounded way too happy for someone who failed at saving a cat. “I knew you’d catch on quick, LuLu~”

Luna rolled her eyes, but a small wry grin crept across her face.

“Hold on, I’ll get you.” She set down her bag, dusted off her hands, and quickly scaled the tree, which was shorter than she first realised. Climbing over to the branch Misaki dangled from, she quickly slipped the bag straps from the branches, letting Misaki drop off to the grass.

“Ahh…after five minutes, I’m free!” Misaki dramatically spread her arms as if emerging from a space dumpster. Luna decided to not call her out on the reference.

“Well, it would be unbecoming of me to ignore a lady in distress,” she decided to leap in with a bit of her own flair. It suddenly occurred to her that she should probably check if Misaki was hurt. Without thinking, she grabbed Misaki by the wrist and pulled her friend towards her.

“Eh, LuLu…?” Misaki began to ask, but the words died in her throat as she found herself meeting Luna’s azure eyes.

Misaki gulped as Luna’s eyes began to run across her entire body. Her friend tended to do this a lot, but recently it’s been making her feel fuzzy in the head and chest. She should get that checked out in the infirmary.

Luna examined her friend, noting no visible cuts or bruises. Thank the gods for Misaki’s weird durability. She released the lavender-haired girl and patted her head.

“No injuries. Thank goodness!”

Misaki snapped out of her little reverie. “Oh, that’s…good, I guess?”

Luna glanced once again at her phone, jumping at the time. “Oh, goodness, we’re running late! We better run before the angel in white becomes the angel of death! Onwards!”

She dashed off towards a classroom block, Misaki racing behind her.

————————————————————

“So that’s a wrap on this stream! As usual, thanks for the superchats, subscribe if you haven’t, and follow my twitter for updates! Otsuruha~”

Sakagami Uruha shut off her streaming program and pulled off her headphones with a sigh, her body going limp as if her batteries went flat. She pulled her knees towards her chest, staring at the virtual avatar she used for streams. A green-haired avatar with pink eyes stared back at her, her other self that she used to face the world head-on.

“Too bad I still can’t do this without you…” she mumbled. As she logged out of her account, her phone’s screen lit up. A notification informed her of her appointment in 5 minutes.

“O-Oh no, I’m g-going to be late!” She scrambled to grab her bag and throw on her uniform before exiting her room

————————————————————

“And that’s pretty much it. I’ll see you next week for the full check-up.”

Kurosawa Haruka bowed quickly before leaving the infirmary, letting out a sigh as she closed the door behind her. The thought of a flu bug going around was enough to make her stomach twist nervously. She checked her watch, noting a full hour before sunset. More than enough time to get to her shooting location.

As she slowly walked off, she dug in her camera bag for her camera and lenses, smiling to herself as she spotted her equipment in their usual places. She fished out her camera and began setting it up for her shoot, glancing at its battery levels as she did so.

She turned the corner and continued walking towards the flight of staircases that would bring her out of the building, but a duo passing her caught her attention. The taller of the two was rambunctiously talking about something with flailing arms, while her companion, a girl with long dark hair, smiled wryly at her friend’s energy. They passed Haruka without a second thought, but something about them drew her eyes. As they continued down the corridor, Haruka found herself staring after them. Before she realised what she was doing, she had snapped a photo.

Time seemed to freeze as the shutter went off, Haruka’s mind racing as it registered what she had done. Luckily, the duo didn’t seem to notice the shutter click, probably because the taller girl had stopped and was now yelling something. Haruka didn’t stay to hear what she was yelling about as she darted down the corridor and down the staircase, stopping at the landing.

Haruka leaned against the wall, heaving a sigh at not being caught. “I really need to kick this habit of taking spy shots…” she groaned. Her fingers went straight to the delete button to wipe the photo. It didn’t sit right with her to keep that when she took it out of sheer impulse. However, what she saw on her screen made her pause.

The lavender-haired girl had stopped in the middle of the corridor, her fist raised high as she grinned widely at her friend. But it was the other girl’s expression that Haruka noticed. The shorter girl still had her wry smile as she looked at her companion, but her eyes were soft and affectionate, a light pink dusting her cheeks.

“…Oh…” Haruka could only utter that comment as realisation struck her. Her finger hovered over the delete button, her mind contemplating her choices.

Eventually she turned off her camera without doing anything, dusting off her skirt as she straightened up. Now, she had a sunset to photograph…

————————————————————

Miina Callis leaned back and sighed as Haruka left the infirmary, her fingers idly fiddling with the corner of the files on her desk. The usual sick feeling rose in the pit of her stomach as she thought about what those files’ contents entailed. It never seemed to get any easier thinking about this project.

A quick knock on the door provided a welcome distraction. “Come in.”

“Sensei! We have arrived!” Misaki all but burst through the door in her excitement.

“We sincerely apologize for our tardiness. A certain heroic lady was trying to save a cat…” Luna shot a sideways glance at Misaki.

“I can’t ignore an innocent in need!”

“I see…” Miina pushed down the renewed queasiness in her stomach. _Come on Miina you have a job to do._

She reached into her drawer and retrieved a pair of cylinders. “Thanks for coming, you two. I just need you to get a quick swab. There’s been a bug going around and the school wants me to check every student,” she informed the duo. _Great job lying through your teeth,_ she wryly scolded herself.

“Oh, sure, sensei!” Misaki grabbed the swab kit without missing a beat, quickly rubbing the tip of the kit along the inside of her cheek. Luna quietly retrieved her own and did the same before returning the set.

“Alright, that’s all I need from you girls today,” Miina murmured absently as she scribbled down a few notes on the bottles with a sharpie. She was desperate to get them out of the room before they noticed the files that still sat on her desk.

“Aw come on, that’s cold, sensei!” Misaki instead plopped herself onto the infirmary bed, much to Miina’s chagrin.

“Don’t you have youthful things to do rather than hang around here?” Miina groused.

“Youthful things?” Misaki tilted her head, looking genuinely confused. Miina didn’t know if the girl was screwing with her or just genuinely dense.

“Define ‘youthful things’, sensei,” Luna chimed in. Miina held back a loud sigh.

“High school girl stuff. You know, boy talk, hanging out with friends, stuff like that.”

“Ah, the rituals of high school, then,” Luna sat herself on the bed that Misaki had plopped herself onto. “Well my club activities have concluded for the day, and Misaki seems to be free enough to indulge in heroics.”

“Also, we’re an all-girls school, so no boy talk for us! Plus it’s more fun to bug you!” Miina resisted the urge to fling her pencil at Misaki for that. She decided instead to just play along. Maybe these girls could take her mind off things after all.

“And you decided to bug your high school nurse because you’re free? Odd choice.” She spun her chair around to face the girls.

“So what makes you think I can entertain you two?”

“Because you amaze us, sensei!” Luna declared dramatically, throwing her hands up in a flourish. “If not for your sage medical wisdom, I doubt I could sustain myself as Othello sustained Iago’s treachery!” She began spinning around before stopping in front of Miina with a bow.

“I’d say you’re exaggerating, but thanks.” Miina couldn’t help but crack a smile. Leave it to these girls to give the interesting responses. “I don’t think I’m that wise per se, just sane. …Yeah I think that’s the best way to put it.”

“Sanity is becoming closer and closer to a rarity of late…” Luna replied with a wry smile.

“Tell me about it. My co-workers from my other job…” Miina’s mind wandered back to the project, her mentor’s pet term popping into her mind. “Karaoke armour…”

She thought she said it quietly enough, but apparently not, as the girls quickly caught that term.

“Karaoke…armour…?” Luna looked perplexed.

“That sounds wicked!” Misaki leapt up excitedly. “Square up!”

“No, well, kind of…?” Miina tried to play off the slip, only to falter at Misaki’s childish excitement. “Of course you would say that, it matches your file…”

“Files?” Luna’s interest was piqued once again. “You mean those on your table?”

Miina cursed inwardly, reaching over to collect the files in a neat stack directly behind her. “They’re medical files for students. Can’t tell you more than that though, it’s against the law.”

“Ah, ‘tis a shame. A true shame,” Luna slumped in her usual theatrical manner.

“A shame? Why would you want students’ medical files, Miss Ichikawa?” Miina took that chance to distract from the topic. “Are you a mad scientist? Or trying to take over the world through the terrors of medical records?”

“N-No, nothing of the sort!” Luna quickly responded.

“But what kind of medical file goes into psychiatric details, or at least details of how I think?” Misaki added curiously. Thankfully Miina had an excuse prepared.

“Nothing that detailed. I just have details on your mental status because I’m the school nurse, silly.” She waved a hand airily. “You should be more careful of Luna trying to be a new evil overlord,” she teased with a grin.

“Like I said I meant nothing of the sort!” Luna spluttered.

“Well if LuLu is the evil overlord, I can be her loyal follower! I’ll shout IWAE whenever she needs!” Misaki started getting excited again. Miina wondered what went on in the girl’s head sometimes…

“Oh yes! You can be her dark knight! Her enforcer to bring down eternal knight!” Regardless, Miina decided it was best to egg Misaki on, partly for her entertainment.

Just as Misaki got more riled up, there was a bump from outside the infirmary door, followed by a tiny “eep!”

“Oh, someone’s here!” Misaki waltzed over to the door and slid it open.

Squatting at the door was a short brown-haired girl holding her forehead, having bumped it against the door earlier.

“Oh, Uruha! Have you come to save me from these two’s slander?” Luna extended her arm towards the girl dramatically.

Misaki instead extended a hand to help the girl up. “You alright, UruUru?”

Uruha quickly scrambled to her feet. “U-um, I’m okay! Thank you, Misaki-senpai!”

“Thank Odin! I wouldn’t want a creature of such cuteness to get hurt!” Luna twirled her way to Uruha, clasping her hands and examining her for injuries.

“E-Ueh?” Uruha looked perplexed.

“Well they seem to get along…” Miina mused quietly as she fixed herself a cup of hot cocoa. “Come in, Uruha, you’re the last one I need.” She retrieved a third swab from her drawer and handed it to the tiny girl.

“O-Oh, yes! I’m sorry for being late!” Uruha hurried over and took the bottle, quickly swabbing herself and handing the sample back.

“It’s not like you to run so late. Did something happen?” Miina decided to enquire. Uruha was the most unstable of the four, it’s best to be sure…

“I-I was actually here a while ago, but I heard you all talking and me entering would interrupt you and make it awkward and…” the tiny girl began trailing off into her own mumbling monologue.

“Of course it wouldn’t! The more the merrier!” Misaki replied cheerily.

“You do know that this is the infirmary, not a club room, right?” Miina couldn’t help but snark at Misaki, who only replied with a sheepish chuckle.

Luna, on the other hand, wasn’t done with her theatrics. “Awkward? Nonsense, little one! I’ll have you know that if there is one feeling seeping into the skins of the populace at all times, it is the one known as ‘awkwardness’!” She posed dramatically and paused for a second, only to get no reaction. She quickly reverts to her normal self, clearing her throat.

“So…what’s up?”

“O-oh, y-yes!” Uruha seemed to recall something and began digging in her bag. She brings out a small box and hands it to Misaki, the box cover featuring a blue game device.

“Oh?” Misaki received and examined the box with interest.

“I-It’s a N•ntendo Switch X Lite, and I got Animal Crossing with it. You mentioned the other day you wanted to try playing it…” Uruha twiddled her fingers nervously. “Should I not have…?”

“Thank you so much, UruUru!” Misaki cheerfully swung the box around and proceeded to quickly open up the package.

“Well this is a surprise…” Luna leaned over Misaki’s shoulder to peek at the device as her friend activates the Switch.

“Dang, it even has emulations and stuff!” Misaki cheered as she scrolled through the options.

“Interesting…”

“U-uh, once y-you set up the island, I can visit and give you some items for decoration…and yes, I installed a few emulators,” Uruha mumbled.

“Thanksies, UruUru!” Misaki replied happily.

“Aw, how sweet of you,” Luna grinned and reached over to pat her junior’s head gently.

 _Now that they’re fully distracted…_ Miina quickly grabs the files and slips them into an empty drawer, sighing in relief.

Uruha, however, noted the flash of relief over the nurse’s face and her hiding the files, but quickly decided to ignore it. It did her no good to probe.

Meanwhile, Misaki was setting up her game. “Ooh, these ones look strong!”

“Methinks you should restart this. Get the cute ones,” Luna suggested.

“Eh, but the strong-looking ones though…”

“Learn the delicacy of being a lady, Misaki.”

“What?” Misaki huffed. “I am very delicate, thank you very much! Right, UruUru?”

Uruha jumped as Misaki hugged her from behind. “U-Ueh?”

“Uruha, it’s fine to speak your mind. This girl gets herself stuck on trees after all.” Luna decided to take a dig at Misaki. Miina sipped her hot cocoa, idly wondering if this is descending into an argument now. _And if it is why are they doing this in my infirmary…_

“Oh that has nothing to do with my island!” Misaki protested, holding Uruha closer like a teddy bear.

“I’m just saying you need to be more aware of yourself! Your panties were showing when you were dangling off that tree by the way.”

Misaki gasped, clamping her hands over Uruha’s ears like a scandalised protective mother. “Wh-why didn’t you tell me?” she spluttered, her face beet red.

“Well I got you down anyway. That’s not the point though, what I’m trying to say is-”

“There’s a lot of issues with it!”

Uruha, now trapped between her bickering seniors, started seeing stars as they yelled. She felt her breathing quicken and her vision blurring. “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry…” she began muttering under her breath.

“A-anyway if we’re talking about the problems we have with each other then I have one too!” Misaki declared. “You use too much Shakespearean quotes!”

Luna let out a dramatic gasp. “You would reject the words of the greatest writer of the Renaissance, nay, of all time?!”

“He literally wrote ‘what, you egg?’ as a line in a script!”

“And that line was brilliant! You just don’t know how to appreciate its genius!”

Uruha’s vision was definitely swimming now. She knew her seniors were the ones around her, but her mind was screaming at her and her body ran cold. She was back in those times again, in that tiny apartment…

“Imsorryimsorryimsorry…”

“Why should I bother with Shakespeare when you never watched a single episode of Kamen Racer?”

“Because Shakespeare is a literary genius! Don’t compare it with your kids’ shows!”

“IT’S NOT JUST A KIDS’ SHOW, LULU!”

“Imsorryimsorryimsorryimsorry…” Uruha was starting to hyperventilate now. She was back there again…those times…

Misaki finally noticed Uruha’s shaking. “Uruha? C-Calm down, sweetie!”

Luna also noticed her junior’s panic “Uruha?!”

Uruha was shaking uncontrollably in Misaki’s arms, tears streaming down her face, her eyes blank and staring off into the distance “Imsorryimsorryimsorry…”

“Oh god, I’m so sorry!” Misaki quickly turned Uruha around to hug her tightly to her chest.

“Steady your breathing dear! It’s alright!” Luna started rubbing Uruha’s back as her junior struggled against Misaki’s hug while grabbing at her blazer at the same time, obviously distressed and confused.

Miina felt her guilt bubbling up in full force again, but she forced herself to stay still. “ _No intervention, it may affect their phonic gain,”_ her mentor had reminded her again and again. _Dammit, I can’t help her even with a full-blown panic attack…_ She forced herself to sip her hot cocoa as Misaki and Luna desperately tried to calm Uruha down.

“How can you be so calm right now, sensei?” Misaki snapped at Miina, who forced down her mouthful of chocolatey drink. _You think I want to be doing this?!_

“Because you’re doing exactly what I would be doing. Unless you want me to give her sedatives,” Miina replied. _Which may not be a bad option right now…_

“Still…” Misaki protested helplessly. Meanwhile, Uruha’s breathing was finally easing, though her body continued to shake as she sobbed into Misaki’s blazer. Misaki pulled the girl in protectively, her heart breaking as she felt the sobs, almost as if they were striking her heart directly. “I don’t…I don’t want to see people cry…”

“And I…would rather not stand idly by while someone is in visible distress,” Luna agreed. Both of them glanced at each other and knew instantly what the other was thinking: this was their fault.

Uruha’s sobbing finally settled down, her body slowly slumping into Misaki’s embrace. Her panic eased as her consciousness was slowly drawn back to the present.

“…Feel better, Uruha?” Luna asked quietly. She only got a small nod in reply. Luna felt a painful lump grow in her throat. _I shouldn’t have done that. What if Uruha didn’t recover because I decided to start a petty fight with Misaki…?_

“See? You have a handle on it,” Miina said, though more for herself than for the girls.

“I’m sorry, senpais…” Uruha mumbled into Misaki’s chest.

“It’s not your fault, UruUru…” Misaki whispered.

“Exactly what Misaki said. If anything it’s my fault for instigating such a foolish argument,” Luna agreed.

“I’m at fault too for reacting like that…” Misaki apologised.

Miina inwardly sighed in relief. She couldn’t imagine the fallout if Uruha didn’t recover from that.

“…Well, are you tired? I can carry you back to your room,” Misaki offered. Uruha eased herself out of her senior’s embrace, shaking her head slightly.

“N-No, it’s fine, I can get back on my own…”

“Are you sure? It’s better to have two set of hands helping out than none, after all.” Luna placed a hand on Uruha’s shoulder.

Uruha shook her head, a little more insistently this time. “N-No, really, it’s fine…” She slipped herself out of Misaki’s arms. “I-I’ll be taking my leave. I’ll see you around, senpais, sensei. Sorry for making a scene…”

Before anyone noticed, Uruha grabbed her bag and slipped out of the infirmary.

“Wait! You’re in no condition to be traveling on your own!” Luna protested as she followed after the tiny girl, Misaki following closely behind her. When they looked down the hallway, they only saw the hem of Uruha’s skirt disappearing around the corner.

“I-Is she running away? In her condition?” Luna was worried. What if Uruha got into an accident in that condition?

Misaki clenched her fist in frustration. “Let’s…Let’s just leave her alone. If we follow her now, it wouldn’t help her.”

“I pray you are making the correct decision…”

“Me too, trust me,” Misaki sighed. “This is the worst…”

“It seems she is embarrassed and upset. The best thing to do for her now is to let her cool off,” Miina popped up behind them.

“You really think so, sensei?” Misaki asked. As if to respond to her question, her phone and Luna’s buzzed simultaneously. The notification showed a message from Uruha.

[Sorry again for making a scene. I’m fine, really. I just need some time alone]

“Right on the money, I see…” Luna muttered. Another message popped up on Misaki’s phone.

[Misaki-senpai, the Switch isn’t at full charge, so please plug it in for a few hours before you play more. I have a charger in the box for you.]

“Oh bless her heart…” Misaki muttered.

“Ever thoughtful, even in sadness…” Luna mused. “We should leave her be and properly apologise the next time we see her.”

“Yup, we should do that…Well, I guess we’ll make a move first. Sorry for the commotion, sensei,” Misaki bowed deeply to Miina.

“…Take care, you two,” Miina said as Misaki and Luna left for the dorms. Once they were out of earshot, she let out a loud sigh and slipped back into the infirmary, locking the door behind her.

————————————————————

Uruha stowed her phone into her pocket, tucking her knees to her chest. The bathroom cubicle wasn’t the best hiding place, sure, but it was the best location for her to be alone for now.

Uruha reached into her bag and pulled out a small music player, reminiscent of retro players from the 2010s. She slips the earbuds connected to the player into her ears, hit ‘Play’ and let the sounds of torrential rain fill her ears.

 _Just a little while…_ Uruha curled into a tighter ball and closed her eyes…

————————————————————

[Sakagami Uruha experienced a panic attack due to involvement in a disagreement between Tsukikage Misaki and Ichikawa Luna. While Tsukikage and Ichikawa prove their compatibility for the Project, Sakagami’s mental state proves to be unpredictable and a possible danger on the field. I recommend that Sakagami be]

Miina’s fingers stopped their flurry of typing, hovering over the keyboard. She clasped her hands together to try to stop their trembling, the usual sick feeling in her stomach rising up to her throat. She quickly grabbed a bucket, the contents of her stomach depositing into the receptacle. After a few dry heaves, she set the bucket down and leaned back into her chair.

“Damn this…” Miina growled and continued with her report.

[I recommend that Sakagami be removed from Project Forte and a new Symphogear adapter be found to replace her.]

————————————————————

** Project Forte Personnel Files **

Name: Tsukikage Misaki

Age: 16

Birthday: 18th March 2027

Height: 180cm

Weight: 50kg

Profile:

_"My oneechan used to say... DO THE IMPOSSIBLE SEE THE INVISIBLE, ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWER!... <small cough> exactly like that."_

Misaki Tsukikage was born a Half-Scandinavian Half-Japanese girl hailing from a family who was guarding a fragment of the Relic "Mjolnir" for generations, until they were brutally murdered for some unknown reasons. The only supposed survivors were her and her older sister, Mikasa Tsukikage, who died after struggling to raise the young Misaki for ten years. Before dying, Mikasa sent a letter of recommendation to BOARD, hoping they can help the young Misaki continue their sacred task of safekeeping the fragment and keep the last Tsukikage safe.

Kind, caring and perhaps a touch too innocent, Misaki is a girl who likes to make others smile. She wishes to protect everyone she cares for, as she see that failure to do so would result in a repeat of what happened to her family in the past.

She tends to quote her older sister, often even mimicking the tomboy's loud and boisterous tone, causing a sharp contrast to her usual gentle demeanour. Although she puts on a more jovial, energetic facade as she enters the battlefield, she does not wish to resort to violence if at all possible, with the obvious exceptions being the Noise

With the help of Project Forte, Misaki now wields the Symphogear "Mjolnir", granting her the power she desires to protect the ones who cannot fend for themselves. Her Armed Gear usually consists of either a one-handed mallet-like hammer, or a large two-handed warhammer. In theory, with enough training, she can shape her armed gear into any form of bludgeoning-type weapon she wishes, such as maces, morning stars, flails, etc.

Interestingly, she's also very sensitive about her modesty, which is why, out of the other relic users, she makes sure her battlesuit has a skirt and is very jittery when other people peep on her unmentionables.


	2. Episode 1: Awakening of the Muses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls are finally given the call to their destinies. Will they take the call, or turn away from their fates?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is the official first chapter! Adventures, shenanigans and classic Symphogear gayness awaits!  
> Most of the content is adapted by me, but the contents relating to Haruka are written by her player, the fantastic Klinkin!  
> Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Episode 1: Awakening of the Muses

* * *

Uruha let out a sigh as she plodded over to the infirmary. It has been a week since her panic attack, and she barely talked to her seniors since then. _I messed up…I caused so much trouble for them…_ A sigh once again left her lips.

“Oh, it’s UruUru~ Yahoo~” The cheery, boisterous tone made Uruha jump, walking right into the source of the voice in her panic. Her vision went dark as she was momentarily engulfed in pillowy mounds.

Uruha quickly backed off, scrambling a couple of steps away from Misaki, who had her arms stretched open as if ready for a hug.

“Aw…and here I thought you jumped into my chest for a hug…” Misaki pouted.

“Now, Misaki, calm down a bit,” Luna placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Everything alright, Uruha?”

“U-Um, y-yes…” The small girl mumbled, her eyes looking anywhere but at her seniors. The memory of the scene she caused last week flooded back into her head and her face flushed brilliantly.

“Are you certain? You seem a little anxious…” Luna drew herself closer to Uruha, one hand grabbing her wrist while the other made contact with her forehead to check for a temperature.

Luna’s piercing blue eyes being so close to her face proved too much for Uruha’s heart, making her nearly fly out of Luna’s arms. “I-I-I’m fine!” The loudness with which she said that surprised even her.

“U-Um…” She withdrew back into herself. “S-Sorry…”

“Oh, it’s fine. It gladdens me that you are healthy,” Luna replied happily. Beside her, Misaki nodded with a satisfied smile, her arms folded across her chest.

“N-No, not that…W-Well, y-yes i-it’s about th-that too, b-but there’s a-also a-another thing a-and I-I…” Uruha began spiralling off into a ramble again, but Misaki was quick on the draw.

“It’s okay, breathe.” She placed her hands over Uruha’s cheeks, resisting the urge to squeeze them from the soft squishy sensation under her palms.

Uruha’s wavering eyes focused again, and her tense body relaxed slightly. Misaki released her, satisfied that her junior was calmed down. “So what’s up?”

“I-I just wanted to a-apologize f-for what h-happened l-last week…” Uruha mumbled.

Misaki and Luna blinked at each other, then chuckled.

“That huh? To think we wanted to apologize too…” Misaki sighed.

“H-huh?” Uruha tilted her head in confusion.

“We were too heated in our dispute to see the distress we caused you, much like how Romeo and Juliet failed to see the big picture in their blinded love…” Luna sighed dramatically. Uruha decided against pointing out the implications of that comparison.

“Anyway, no need to apologize, UruUru. If anything, we were at fault for making you so upset. So…friendsies?” Misaki grinned at her junior.

Uruha felt a warmth spread from her chest. “Mm!” She smiled up happily at her seniors.

“Alright! Now to go find MiiMii~” Misaki grabbed Luna and Uruha by the shoulders and began steering them towards the infirmary. “And away we go!”

“Wha-Wait, Misaki!” Luna yelled, but they were already getting pushed along like a shopping cart.

————————————————————

“Today is the day…” Miina sighed as she stared at the mark on her calendar. It was the day the Project’s candidates were to report, and despite her best efforts, she had failed to get approval for Uruha to be replaced. Miina leaned back in her chair with a groan, a fresh wave of nausea crashing over her.

_We’re asking four girls, children actually, to help save the world. As if Miss Sunshine’s breakdown after what happened with Zwei Wing wasn’t lesson enough…_

She glanced out the window of the infirmary, hoping to catch some fresh air to ease her turning stomach.

“Fight-on! Fight-on! Fight-on!” A group of girls jogged in unison along the school track, led by a slim girl with dark green hair tied with a yellow ribbon and pale skin unbefitting of her athlete status. _Kohinata…poor girl…_

She wished she could have just quit this entire charade when she got the job, but she was vetoed out of a decision. The Commander had said something about her “being a shut-in” and “needing to experience youth”.

 _I at least go out for karaoke and shopping twice a week…Sensei spends all her time researching the Sakurai Theory and pulling crazy stunts but I don’t see him getting on_ her _case…I smell favouritism._

Miina blew out another breath and glanced back to the files on her table. Papers detailing four Lydian students and photos of archaeological sites spread out in front of her.

_The Scythe of Cronus, the Tyrant of Time…and the girl who was my test subject for this whole project…_

_Svalinn, He Who Stands Before the Sun...and a girl who was fated to be more than normal...but luck gave her a peaceful life of pictures instead...until now._

_Mjolnir, The Storm Caller…a girl whose family legacy brought her here...was it worth bringing her in?_

_Gae Bolg, The Soaring Spear of Piercing Death…with the wild card who was just unlucky with the lottery called fate…I wish I managed to spare her from this…_

That was hypocritical of her, of course. She had recommended each of them, bar one, and helped select the relics. “BOARD and Penny put a lot of trust in me, making me in charge of the first four…But can I truly ask them to fight in a war?”

She glanced at a small stack of papers off to the side of her desk. “Well, firstly, will they even agree to sign these papers…?”

A small commotion outside her door interrupted her long monologue. The door slid open, nearly flying off its rails, and an energetic voice boomed through the room.

“We have arrived, sensei!” Misaki dragged her two friends into the room along with her, both looking slightly ragged. _They were probably dragged here by Misaki…_

“Y-You needed us here for a check-up, s-sensei?” Uruha stammered, still a little disoriented from the way she got to the infirmary.

“I pray nothing is amiss with our well-being?” Luna queried smoothly. Not bad for someone who already knows what’s happening.

“I believe the email sent out to all of you mentioned it, but you were missing a few checks in your paperwork, as well as some signatures. But just hold on, we’re waiting for another person to arrive,” Miina replied calmly.

“Another person…?” Misaki tilted her head curiously. Her curiosity was answered by a newcomer sliding open the door a crack.

"Um...are we all here for the same thing?" A girl with shoulder-length black hair peeked into the room, glancing nervously at her fellow students.

“Ah, Haruka,” Miina waved the girl in. “Now we can get started.”

Haruka slipped through the small crack she opened in the door, sliding it closed behind her gently. She bowed quickly to the girls in the room. “Um…Uh…I’m Kurosawa Haruka,” she mumbled a little.

“Hiya! The name’s Tsukikage Misaki, nice to meet you, HaruHaru! Can I call you HaruHaru?” Misaki was practically bursting with excitement at a new friend.

“Ah…Um…sure…?” Haruka’s eyes wavered as the taller girl got really close, wringing her hand energetically.

“And I am Ichikawa Luna! Pleased to make your acquaintance, fine maiden.” Luna made a big show of bowing to Haruka.

“…I’m Sakagami Uruha…” Uruha mumbled from behind a curtain.

“Now that introductions are out of the way…” Miina pulled out four stacks of papers from her desk drawer. “I just need you to sign these. It’s nothing major.”

It certainly _looked_ like something major, since each stack looked to have about 20 sheets of paper.

“…” A weird silence fell over the room as the girls stared at the papers in their hands.

 _Should’ve expected they wouldn’t buy it…_ Miina sighed mentally. Why her mentor felt that this would work is beyond her. Even Luna glanced at her with a strange “Really?” look.

Haruka was flipping through the stack page by page, scanning the contents carefully. “‘BOARD’…? ‘Adapter’…? Um…What is all this?”

“It’s just medical documents. You know, insurance, all that stuff,” Miina replied dismissively, though inside she was screaming. _Perception-blocking technology my ass! They’re seeing it just like it is!_

“Ah, insurance, truly the bane of all documented processes,” Luna chimed in, her arms flailing dramatically. Miina could tell she was trying to bail her out, but that line made absolutely no sense.

“Th-This looks like an NDA…” Uruha mumbled as she spotted familiar terms in the lines of complicated words.

“L-Look, it really is nothing to worry about. I just need your signatures and we can be on our merry way,” Miina tried to pull their attention back, but her composure had already cracked.

“You alright, MiiMii? You seem kinda pale,” Misaki glanced over concernedly.

Luna glanced between her three fellow students. Uruha and Haruka were now carefully perusing the documents line by line, while Misaki was staring at Miina’s face, checking for any abnormalities (She pushed down a hot flare in the pit of her stomach when she saw that. Where did that come from?). She had to salvage the situation, and fast.

Her eyes soon fell on an out: a small panel behind the medicine cabinet, hidden out of sight from students who usually visit the infirmary.

 _I know what BOARD wants to do, but…_ Luna steeled herself and strode over to the panel, sliding it open to reveal a big red button that said “Do Not Push”. As people are wont to do with all big red buttons labelled that way, she slammed it hard.

[Transfer mode activated. Please grab on to a handhold] The mechanical voice that rung out through the infirmary made everyone freeze. Miina’s eyes met Luna’s, and they had a quick silent debate about what the girl just did.

_Really? You pushed the button?_

_Better than them refusing once they find out you’re duping them into signing an NDA!_

_Okay, that is totally not my plan! I’m just the messenger here!_

_Doesn’t make it better, Sensei!_

“Eh? What? What’s happening?” Misaki glanced around as a siren started to blare.

“Uh…Um…this isn’t some evacuation drill, right?” Haruka was equally confused, but decided it was better to grab onto the mounted beds with her camera bag cushioned by a pillow.

Uruha, on the other hand, had already dived under the safety of an infirmary bed, curled up in a ball. “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry…”

The room was now bathed in a red alert light that had popped out of the ceiling.

“Aww…and I thought my plan was pretty good…” A female voice came from the ceiling, making the girls jump.

“Your “plan” relied on heretical technology that failed right off the bat, sensei,” Miina groaned in response.

“Eh? Wh…What’s happening?” Haruka was full-on panicking now. Disembodied voices typically didn’t appear in infirmaries in broad daylight.

“CEILING GHOST!” Misaki screeched. She quickly adopted a fighting stance. “I-I ain’t afraid, you hear?” Luna resisted the urge to facepalm, while Miina finally gave in and slammed her face into her desk.

“I kinda wanted to see you struggle a bit more…” the singsong voice mused.

“Transfer beginning in 3 seconds. Please hold on to something that’s nailed down,” a new, business-like female voice chimed in.

“Whoa!” Misaki was still confused, but grabbed onto the nearby curtain rack nonetheless.

“3…” the siren started blaring a bit louder.

“2…” the room felt like it was shifting. No, wait, it _was_ shifting.

“1…” the room was full-on rumbling now, as if facing a small earthquake.

“0!” With that final count, the girls felt the ground get pulled from underneath them.

“WWWHHHOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAA!” Misaki screamed as the room dropped into freefall. It felt like one of those freefall machines she rode in amusement parks, except this was an infirmary room.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry…” Uruha had now curled into an even tighter ball under the bed where she was hiding, her hand firmly clamped over her ears.

Haruka gritted her teeth and held fast to her handhold and her camera bag, praying that nothing happened to the bag’s contents.

Luna gripped onto the medicine cabinet, her legs bracing for the impact.

Miina still had her face firmly planted on her desk, her nausea back in full force, but for a wholly different reason. _I do_ not _get paid enough for this shit…_

The freefall continued for what felt like an hour, through it was probably for only a few minutes. If the girls had paid attention, they would notice that jazz was being piped through the PA system in the room.

As abruptly as it began, the room came to a stop with a ‘ding’ so cheerful it almost felt mocking. Slowly, the walls of the “room” lowered to reveal an inky darkness.

Misaki slid off the rack she was holding, her body plopping onto the floor. “Is…Is it over…?”

Miina slumped on her chair, looking distinctly green. “Dammit Luna, this is why I didn’t want to use the button…”

The darkness surrounding the room was suddenly broken by lights switching on all around them.

“WELCOME!” A booming voice greeted them cheerfully. The sound of party poppers going off came from all around them.

“Eh?” Misaki looked up from her position on the floor.

Haruka was just as perplexed, her eyes darting all around her, spotting several people in green-blue outfits that seemed to be uniforms all around them.

“The second branch of the Disaster Relief Squad, guardians of mankind, greet you!” A tall, muscular man cheered, his mane of dark red hair giving him the appearance of a humanoid lion. The too-small top hat sitting atop his head was almost comical-looking.

There was a brief silence, then Uruha rolled out from her hiding spot, still curled up in a ball. “Ueh…”

————————————————————

Ten minutes later, the girls were finally calmed down and settled into seats around a large table laden with a veritable feast. Sandwiches, salads, burgers, cakes, you name it.

Uruha found herself slotted between Luna and Misaki, mainly at the insistence of the two. She accepted the offer without hesitation though; having them beside her helped her turning stomach a little. Miina wasn’t so lucky, as she now sat off in the corner, retching into a vomit bag.

Across from them, the red-haired man who greeted them earlier cleared his throat awkwardly. He seemed more apprehensive once he knew his yelling set off Uruha’s panic.

“So…once again, Section Two welcomes you!” he spread his arms out wide once again.

“Um…” Haruka raised her hand.

“Yes!”

“What is this about…? We, uh, were just supposed to get a medical check-up, I believe…” she trailed off, still trying to process what was happening.

“Well,” the woman beside him spoke up. She was a chirpy bespectacled woman with dark brown hair wrapped up in a messy bun and a lab coat over a pink dress that almost looked like a nightgown. “This _is_ part of the check-up! Or at least what the check-up was a cover for, anyway…”

“A cover…?” Misaki frowned. “I don’t know how I feel about that…smokes and mirrors feels dishonourable…”

“Ahahaha! I like your thinking, young lady!” the redhead paced over and gave Misaki a solid pound on the back.

Luna, who was still busy rubbing a hand in circles around Uruha’s back to ease her nerves, gave a sigh. “Maybe we should start from introductions…”

“Right you are, Luna-chan~” the woman in the lab coat replied. She adjusted her glasses sitting atop her nose before making her introduction.

“I’m Sakurai Ryoko, scientist extraordinaire! You may know me as the developer of the Sakurai Theory~”

“Sensei, the Sakurai Theory is top secret.”

“Oh, details~”

“And my name is Kazanari Genjuuro!” the redheaded man boomed. “I’m the Commander of the second branch of the Disaster Relief Squad, Section Two for short.” He folded his arms, which each looked to be about as thick as Uruha’s entire torso, and gave the girls a wide grin.

“N-Nicole Woods…” A green-haired, bespectacled woman speaks up, twiddling her fingers nervously. “I’m in charge of Noise physiology and phase barrier research with BOARD…Ah, BOARD is the o-organisation I work for, but I’m h-here because BOARD is p-partnered with Section Two and-”

“Penelope Kazan. You can call me Penny,” The taller, blue-haired woman beside Nicole speaks up, stopping Nicole’s ramble before the scientist passed out from hyperventilation. “I’m the head researcher of BOARD’s branch working with Section Two. BOARD stands for “Board of Archaeological Research Department”, a department under UNESCO.” She correctly read Haruka’s expression and answered her unspoken question, leaving the girl blushing slightly.

“And these people will be your support for your missions going forward!” Genjuuro gestured to a small group behind him.

“Fujitaka Sakuya,” a thin gangly man with sand-coloured hair gave a small wave as he bit into a chicken leg. “And Tomosato Aoi,” a woman with short blue hair gave a kind smile, directed more towards the nervous Uruha than anyone else. “They will be your mission control officers when you’re out on the field!”

“Ogawa Shinji,” Genjuuro patted the shoulder of an unassuming young man in a suit beside him, “is our intelligence officer in Section Two. You can ask him for any information you may need!”

“‘Any’ information may be a little too much, sir…” Ogawa responded sheepishly.

“There’s one more person who should be here, but she’s off somewhere. Probably the training room,” Genjuuro sighed.

“I-I’ll go get her!” Nicole speed-walked out of the room, trying and failing to hide her eagerness to remove herself from the party.

“Wait a minute,” Misaki’s frazzled brain finally reacted to what Genjuuro said. “You said ‘missions’?”

“Well, yes, your missions as part of Section 2 and BOARD’s new project,” Genjuuro responded cheerfully.

“WHAAAAAATTTTTT?” Misaki jumped to her feet, nearly lunging across the table. “We weren’t told anything about this!”

Haruka had leapt to her feet in shock as well, though Misaki’s outburst made her hesitate. “Uh…we didn’t exactly get any details about anything…”

“Hm? Didn’t Miina-kun explain what was in the papers you signed?” Genjuuro looked genuinely confused. The adults in the room glanced over at Miina, who was still hunched over in her seat.

“About that…” Luna mentally kicked herself for rushing the process now. “We didn’t exactly…get them to sign the papers yet…”

“What?” Penelope raised an eyebrow at Luna while Ryoko chuckled. She pinched the bridge of her nose. “So _that’s_ why the emergency transfer was activated…”

“Um…sorry…” Luna scratched her cheek sheepishly.

“I suppose we should start from the beginning then,” Penelope coughed into the back of her hand to regain her composure.

“I trust you’re familiar with the Zwei Wing tragedy two years ago?” The girls quickly nodded. “Good, so you should be familiar with a particular rumour that made its round across the internet.”

Her statement was greeted with looks of confusion from Misaki and Haruka, but Uruha’s eyes sparked with recognition and she spoke up.

“D-Do y-you mean the r-rumour of Zwei Wing being V-Valkyries fighting the N-Noise that attacked the concert…?”

“Exactly. Most of the videos and online posts documenting these were deleted, so it remains an urban legend. But that’s because our information control officers had it taken down,” Penelope nodded.

“Um, information control…?” Haruka muttered confusedly.

“Yes, information control! After all, we can’t let information about those Valkyries leak to the public!” Ryoko responded cheerfully.

“S-So th-the rumours w-were true…?” Uruha asked, though she knew the answer to that question already.

“Of course! Zwei Wing’s members are what we call Adaptors, people who can use their phonic gain to use the Symphogear units developed by yours truly!” Ryoko puffed out her chest proudly.

“So you mean they were henshin heroes that fought off the Noise?” Misaki’s expression was now shining with joy. It was like a dream come true for her. This was basically the closest thing to Kamen Racer in real life!

“Well, yes and no. they do fight the Noise, yes, but it’s nothing like the heroes you see in tv shows, Tsukikage-kun,” Genjuuro replied, his expression and tone grave. “They fought the Noise at great personal risk.”

“The Symphogears are weaponry created from relics retrieved from ancient civilisations, or what’s left of them anyway. But even shards of these relics from myths give enough power to fight the Noise. Activated with Phonic Gain, we can use the Symphogears to overcome the Noise’s phase shift barriers that make them untouchable to conventional weaponry.” Ryoko explained. “All created courtesy of yours truly!”

“Back on topic, the UN caught wind of the Symphogear technology and reached out to Section Two for a collaborative project to mass-produce Symphogears for protection of heretical technology, technology from ancient civilisations surpassing even the levels of our current state of civilisation. BOARD codenamed this as Project Forte,” Penelope continued.

“With the Noise threat becoming more and more prevalent, as I trust you’ve seen from news reports, BOARD and Section Two decided to start a new phase of the project,” Penelope sighed. “And that’s where you girls come in.”

Her statement was greeted by looks of confusion from all the girls except Luna, who had a look of defeated resignation painted across her face.

“You have been selected as the first users of Symphogears produced under Project Forte.”

“WHAAAAAATTTTTT?” The second exclamation from the girls erupted through the room, this time with Haruka joining Misaki.

“Us? Fight the Noise?” Haruka’s nervousness had been blown out of her mind, replaced by panic and shock.

“While that sounds amazingly cool,” Misaki began, prompting a confused look from Haruka. “One of us here can’t even deal with loud noises, much less weird murder alien Noises!” Uruha jumped a little, then hung her head as Misaki gestured at her.

“Trust me, I tried to tell them…” Miina finally recovered from her nausea and joined them, giving a sideways glare to the other adults.

“Sakagami is the one member we cannot compromise on, Miina-san, we’ve had this conversation before,” Penelope responded coolly.

“Uruha-chan’s Phonic Gain is the highest among the candidates~ We need her as part of this project!” Ryoko chimed in.

“Uruha’s…?” Luna glanced over at her junior, who was shrinking into herself, and back at the adults. “That’s the first I’ve heard of it.” She didn’t mean to sound accusatory, but it came out anyway.

“Because that information was on a need-to-know basis, Luna-san,” Penelope replied.

“Still…” Luna tried to continue her protest, but the words died in her throat.

“But why us…?” Haruka asked timidly. She could feel her hands shaking as she tried to suppress further panic.

“Because the Symphogear units can only be activated with the Phonic Gain from young maidens!” Ryoko threw her arms in the air dramatically. “The power of song from modern-age Valkyries are the hope of humanity!”

“…Did you teach her that?” Misaki leaned over and whispered to Luna. Her friend only responded with a sigh.

“Basically,” Miina sighed before taking over her mentor in explanations. “You girls have been found to have sufficiently high levels of Phonic Gain and high compatibility with the Gears we have prepared for Project Forte, which is why we brought you here. We need your participation in this Project to help combat the Noise. Right now, we only have two active users, one of whom has…circumstances and can’t really help us right now.”

“I don’t feel good about asking this of you,” Genjuuro finally spoke up again, his voice and tone stony and barely supressing his anger and sadness. “But we truly need your help to fight for humanity. Please…” He gave a deep, 90-degree bow, and the rest of the adults followed suit.

“…” A silence fell over the room as the girls considered their options.

 _If I’m needed to stop a threat…I should do it. Right, Nee-san?_ Misaki looked down at her hands. _But if my guess is right, then one of the relics should be…_

 _This…is a tough decision. But if the Noise are involved, then Kazuya-nii is probably fighting them. If I can help him…_ Haruka wrung her hands nervously. _But I can’t use weapons, much less fight…_

 _The highest Phonic Gain…fighting to save humanity…_ Uruha took a deep breath. _But I…_

“I’ll do it,” Misaki finally spoke up, her voice resolute.

“You’re certain, Misaki?” Luna asked her friend. She resisted the urge to grab Misaki’s hand to hold her back. Misaki glanced at her and gave her usual grin and thumbs up.

“If someone needs me to be a hero, I’ll do it!”

“....Um. I’m not sure, but...um,” Haruka stammered, trying to find the right words. “Well, um, I'll try to turn it on, I guess?”

With that, attention now fell on Uruha, who still had her head hung low.

“Uruha,” Miina called out to the girls gently. “I know I don’t have the right to say this after bringing you here, but you don’t have to agree.”

“…” Uruha’s breath hitched slightly.

“Uruha…you don’t have to push yourself…” Luna put a hand on her junior’s shoulder, feeling the slight tremors from the smaller girl.

“…I-I…”

“If you want, Uruha-kun, we ask that you at least activate it and do stuff down here...We will not send you into combat if you don't want to,” Genjuuro chimed in.

“…I-I don’t know…” Uruha finally choked out. She raised her head a little, and she looked to be on the verge of tears. “I-I know you need me to help, but I…I…”

“Shh…It’s okay, it’s okay…” Misaki wrapped her arms around Uruha, rubbing circles on the girl’s back to ease her sobs.

“…Well, at least we have three members out of our four candidates,” Penelope sighed. The adults stood up a little straighter. “On behalf of the UN Board of Archaeological Research Department...” she began.

“…and Japan's Section Two…” Genjuuro continued.

“Thank you,” both of them said gravely as the adults bowed once again.

“I already made my choice long ago, but ‘tis but a courtesy,” Luna responded.

“Eh? Eh...um...y-you’re welcome?" Haruka stammered. Suddenly having a whole group of adults bowing to her so solemnly threw her off, not to mention the weird tension she felt.

“Tsukikage Misaki, awaiting your command,” Misaki stood up straight, giving a small smile.

“…” Uruha remained seated, her head hung.

Ryoko straightened up and retrieved a silver briefcase emblazoned with a large logo reading “BOARD” from under the table. She cleared a space and laid it out on the table, facing the girls. With a click, the briefcase opened to reveal three metallic blue cases with silver and orange accents, each with a small screen on the top labelled with a number from “02” to “04”.

“These boxes contain your Symphogears!” She cheered while pulling out the boxes to hand out to the girls. The box labelled with “04” remained in the briefcase, however.

“SG-F02 is for Haruka-chan~” Haruka received the box from the cheerful scientist. Now that she held the box in her hand, she could have sworn there was a light hum from within it.

“And SG-F03 is for Misaki-chan!” Misaki gripped the box tightly in her hand, examining its metal surface. She brushed her fingers over the screen with “03” displayed on it, and the box let out a beep before flipping open, revealing a red jewel nestled in blue satin.

**[Anti-Noise Combat System SG-F03. User identified. Welcome, Misaki Tsukikage]**

“When not in use, the Gears are in their inactive forms, which are the pendants you have in the cases. The Gear will be activated when you produce an Aufwachen waveform that matches the relic.” Ryoko explained.

“And now, time for a demonstration! Minna, dear, would you mind fetching Miss Woods? She’s been gone too long…”

“I bet she couldn’t convince Little Miss Sunshine to come over…” Minna grumbled as she left the room, giving a final worried glance to Uruha.

“And for the rest of us, let’s go to the training grounds~!”

————————————————————

Misaki, Luna and Haruka entered a large room the size of a sports hall, with large built-in lights in the walls and steel floors. Ryoko and Uruha watched them from a control centre, through a wide window overlooking the room.

“Activating the holo-field!” Ryoko chirped as she tapped a button on her watch. The room spurred into life, the gaps along the walls sending beams across the rooms. The girls averted their eyes as the room was bathed in a bright wave of light. When their vision cleared, the found themselves standing in the middle of a town. More specifically, they were standing in an empty Akihabara.

“Wha-Wait, whaaaaattttt?” Misaki screamed. This was too much for her. First ceiling ghosts, then henshin heroes, now teleportation? She felt her already overloaded head start to spin.

“Impressive, is it not?” Luna seemed oblivious to her friend’s distress, looking around the area with muted interest.

Haruka, meanwhile, reached over to a nearby signpost. “Um...holograms? Projectors in the walls?" she guessed. Her hand came into contact with the signpost, and instead of passing through it, her hands contacted solid. She let out a little gasp of surprise. They felt real, nothing like holograms at all.

“I give that answer 70 marks, Haruka-chan! They’re hard-light projections, but a simulation nonetheless!” Ryoko answered through a headset.

“Now then, I believe we should get started on our display?” Luna asked mildly.

“Yes, we shall! Show us the might of the Tyrant of Time~!” Ryoko replied with a wide smile.

“...Tyrant of...huh?” Haruka was confused, both at the term and at Ryoko’s showy declaration.

“Various myths and folklore from all around the world have often spoken of ancient weapons with hidden supernatural powers. Impossible to produce with today's technology, they exist as crystallized forms of heretical technology that are excavated from ruins and such.” Ryoko explained helpfully as Luna clipped her pendant around her neck. “And, well, such things have fancy names with them.”

Luna took a deep breath, stands up straighter with her hands spread, and opens her mouth, feeling the rush from her Gear pendant.

**_=Cronus Ens... Vi...Tier Tron=_ **

Luna’s song rang through the holo-field, sounding vaguely like the toll of a clock tower’s bell. An orb of bright light that pulsed yellow and lavender bathed the area, with Luna at the centre of it.

Within the orb, Luna’s Gear pendant opened up, releasing particles of light that formed themselves into bands of purple trimmed with silver. The bands wrapped themselves around her, tightening over her torso to form a purple and black leotard with a short black skirt. Smaller bands encircled her arms, legs, waist and neck, tightening to form purple and silver armour with a silver popped collar. The armour pack on the small of her back popped open, releasing purplish-black scythe-shaped pieces that looked like wings. A final band of purple wrapped around her head like a crown to form purplish-black serrated horns on either side of her head. She reached out her right hand, and on cue, a scythe as long as she was tall formed, with a black shaft and silver blade, a large purple gem set at the base of the blade.

The yellow and purple light died, leaving Luna standing in her armoured state.

 **< Aufwachen Waveform Pattern Detected: Cronus> **A robotic voice rang through the holo-field.

Luna swung her scythe around a little, the enhanced strength granted by the Symphogear making the weapon light as a feather. With a dramatic flourish, she pointed the weapon to the sky.

“Transcending history and the world...a tale of scythes and swords eternally retold!” Luna figured she might as well make this look more like one of those Kamen Racers that Misaki liked so much with a pose and battle phrase.

“Oooohhhh!” Misaki’s eyes were shining. Luna truly was like a Kamen Racer! She even had a cool pose and everything! Misaki looked her friend up and down, examining her armour. Her eyes fell on Luna’s leotard…which was pretty revealing…and had a short skirt that didn’t really cover her at all… Misaki felt herself flush from second-hand embarrassment and looked away. “Y-Your skirt’s really short…” she mumbled to Luna.

“Hm? Oh yes, I suppose it is…” Luna noted mildly. She grinned a little, knowing exactly why her friend was so flustered. “Every Symphogear looks like this.”

“Wh-wha-” Misaki flushed darker, the mere thought of wearing such an outfit making her head explode.

Meanwhile, Haruka finally stopped gawking, her mouth that hung open in a small “o” shutting. “Where...um...how did...” she stopped, trying to get her bearings. “It really is, um, like a magical girl show...” she added quietly. “Luna, how did...those words were a magic spell or something?”

“Spell? Do you take me for a witch? Or has your spirit already been lost to the unyielding threads of the Fates?” The rush of adrenaline from transformation made Luna showier than usual, her gestures wilder and more dramatic than her usual posturing.

“...Spirit? Fate? Um...” Haruka felt at a loss as to how to respond. “Er, not a witch, I guess? What were the words then?”

“It’s the song that provides the Aufwachen waveform to activate your Symphogear~!” Ryoko replied in her usual singsong tone. “Just put on your pendants and it should come to you naturally!”

“Um…okay…” Haruka placed a finger over the screen of her box and retrieved the Gear pendant.

**[Anti-Noise Combat System SG-F02. User identified. Welcome, Haruka Kurosawa]**

“ALLLLLLLLRIGHT! I’ll go for it too!” Misaki shouted, trying to cover her embarrassment through her voice.

“Just relax and listen for the Gear’s call. It may not come immediately, so just rela-” Luna’s advice was cut off as Misaki opened her mouth. Her song rang like the strum of a lyre through a grassland.

**_=Rha Ailda Mjolnir Tron=_ **

“Eh? Already?!” Luna was surprised and a little jealous; it had taken her months before Cronus answered her call!

A bright whitish orb of light engulfed Misaki, and the next second, the light died, leaving Misaki in a Symphogear suit of her own. Her armour was dark grey and white, with green glowing accents. Her armour looked to be thicker and heavier than Luna’s, with heavier armour around her legs extending up to her hips and completely armoured arms and shoulders. Her headgear was split into two parts, one part greyish-white and one part bright green, with white antennae pointing forwards and upwards. Her undersuit was more modest than Luna’s, with a longer skirt that reached her mid-thigh rather than fluttering around her hips.

As Misaki landed lightly, having been floating a few inches off the ground during the transformation, her leg armour launched a few pieces from inside. The pieces connected together and formed a large silver and green war hammer which landed in Misaki’s hands.

**< Aufwachen Waveform Pattern Detected: Mjolnir>**

“An Armed Gear on the first transformation? Amazing!!” Ryoko got weirdly excited over Misaki’s hammer.

“I smash through darkness with a storm of justice!” Misaki declared as she slammed the hammer onto the ground, sending sparks arcing across the floor.

“KYAAAAAAAA~~~~!!! That was so cool!” Misaki bounced on the balls of her feet, excited about the Gear.

“And here it took me months to even transform...show-off,” Luna grumbled and kicked the ground like a child throwing a tantrum.

Haruka let out an ‘eep’ as she avoided an arc of electricity. “Um...Ryoko-sensei...does it not normally give you a weapon…?”

“The Armed Gear is powerful weapon manifested with each Symphogear, that can take many forms based on the properties of each individual gear,” Ryoko explained as she tapped a few buttons on her tablet. “Like how Misaki-chan’s Mjolnir is a hammer, and Cronus is a scythe due to the god’s,” she said that word a little strangely, as if it left a bad taste in her mouth, “use of the weapon.”

“Ah. And...um. Mine is?” Haruka asked hesitantly.

“That’s spoilers, dear! Try activating your Gear and it’ll be obvious~” Ryoko sang.

“Right, um...” she paused. She didn't really have the faintest idea where to start. She retrieved the pendant from her case and brought it up to her chest, clasped within her palms. Strangely, the sounds of the room grew faint and distant, like she was hearing them from atop a tall mountain. Nestled between her hands, the Gear grew warm, and she gave a brief squeak and peeked open her eyes a bit as it pulsed. Had she imagined that? The answer pretty clearly became 'no', for as soon as she closed her eyes, it happened again. And then again. Drumming out a steady rhythm, the jewel captured her focus, and as it did, she realized she could no longer hear her own rapid pulse. It had synchronized with the Gear, a slower, steady, strong beat, keeping perfect time with mechanical precision like one of those metronomes they used in music class. She could feel the drumbeat suffuse her body, the chime of wind in her ears, and then one more thing cut through the sound. Five words.

**_=Hann stendr Svalinn heitir tron=_ **

Haruka’s song echoed like a call through crisp snow-capped mountains. The jewel in her hands glowed brightly enough that the pure, bright light could be seen even from within her clenched fists, enveloping her in a globe of snow-white brilliance.

As the light faded, it revealed Haruka standing stock-still, partially in shock at the new experience and the flood of new feelings and senses. Now garbed in a sturdy bodysuit and armour in muted greys and blues, the colours of rough iron, the stormy skies, the icecaps of mountains and the rock below them, she slowly opened her eyes, looking down at her Gear. Lined with fur, the armour's most notable feature was a massive clawed gauntlet, upon the back of which lay a circular mirror which she held up, turning it this way and that, flexing her fingers within the massive gauntlet.

**< Aufwachen Waveform Pattern Detected: Svalinn>**

“...Wow.” That was the only response she could give for the rush of energy and strength that coursed through her veins.

“Holy Ken Silverman YOU LOOK AMAZINGGGG!!!!!!!!!” Misaki bounced all around like a child on Christmas Day.

“W-wow…” Uruha, who had been standing silent beside Ryoko the entire time, couldn’t help but let out a sigh of amazement.

“Yes, it’s quite amazing, isn’t it, Uruha-chan? Behold! This is the power of save the world! The Symphogear units!” Ryoko declared, throwing a hand out to gesture at the transformed trio in the holo-field.

“I-I see…” Uruha trailed off. As her eyes wandered, she noticed the box Ryoko held in her other hand as she cradled the tablet. “Th-That’s…”

“Oh? Yes, this is your Symphogear,” Ryoko held the case out to the girl, showing her the “04” shining on the screen.

“O-Oh…” Uruha mumbled guiltily as she received the case. They went out of their way to prepare all this, only for her to be so hesitant…

“No pressure, dear. You’re more than welcome to just watch~” Ryoko assured her. Uruha only responded with a small nod.

“Now, now, do you girls want to start testing those gears out? You know, get a feel of everything?” Ryoko turned her attention back to the girls in the holo-field.

“Um...maybe? How do–” Her question was cut off as, unbidden, knowledge flowed into her brain. Flashes of great warriors, shieldmaidens of ancient times, burst into her mind. "Ryoko-sensei...does it always do that pictures-in-your-mind thing? And words-in-your-mind? And feelings-in-your-mind?"

“Not always. It varies with the user but generally the relic will provide you with the knowledge to use it,” Ryoko replied, distractedly tapping in her tablet once more.

“Erm, Ryoko-sensei? How do I...um...actually make an... Armed Gear? The shield? Where is it?” Haruka tapped the mirror on the back of her gauntlet.

“Isn’t it automatic? Like ‘bam’ and ‘boom’ and it appears!” Misaki flailed her arms around.

“Well it depends on the user’s feelings and convections. I assume Misaki-chan was able to do it so easy due to the fact her bloodline is tied to that little hammer. Don't worry, it took Luna months before she got hers to work, you’ll figure it out eventually~” Ryoko explained.

“M-My bloodline…” Misaki went weirdly solemn after hearing Ryoko’s statement, which went unnoticed by everyone.

“…Now where’s that protégé of mine…she’s taking too long too…” Ryoko tapped an option on her tablet and adjusted her headset. “WHERE ARE YOU MIINA?”

There was a short silence, then Miina’s voice came over Ryoko’s headset and the sound system in the holo-field.

“For goodness sake! why is your room such a mess? Why do you have your lamp on the floor rolling sideways?!”

“Oh dear…” Ryoko quickly shut off the connection.

“Um, that was…” Haruka had an inkling of who Miina was yelling at, but she hesitated to say it out loud. After all, that person couldn’t be a slob like who Miina seemed to be talking to…right…?

“Anyway,” Ryoko sang, probably to change the subject. “I’d like to start a little exercise. Get you girls warmed up in your new Gears, you know?”

As soon as she said that, alarms started to ring and an automated voice began an announcement.

**< NOISE ATTACK! ALL ACTIVE MEMBERS TO YOUR BATTLESTATIONS!>**

**< REPEAT, NOISE ATTACK! ALL ACTIVE MEMBERS TO YOUR BATTLESTATIONS!>**

“Luna! Head out! I’ll continue the training for your friends!” Ryoko commanded. Luna nodded quickly in response and headed out of the holo-field.

“Eh? Shouldn’t we go help out too?” Misaki asked as she watched her friend disappear behind the holo-field doors.

“No, we don't know if you can constantly run your Gears for long period of time. We are not going to send you out there and have your Gears just turn off in middle of combat,” Ryoko replied quickly.

“I suppose that makes sense…” Haruka agreed.

“Plus, Luna’s been doing this for over the last two years. She knows how to fight,” Ryoko assured. “But since we are talking about fighting.... How about you fight some target practice? Get your feet wet as they say?” She tapped her tablet, and the holo-field whirred to life. The hard-light projectors activated once more to beam new implements into the room. However, this time, it didn’t generate buildings and streets.

A little bit down the virtual street from the girls, the projectors beamed in 5 creatures. Two of them were human-sized, with orange bodies and a strange green panel-like region around where the torse would be, as well as pale orange plates as hands ending in a spike on each “hand”. The other three creatures were larger, easily twice the girls’ heights. They had mottled green bodies, light brown markings and horns, and a large gaping mouth, within which an unnatural pink glow shined.

“E-Eep!” Haruka let out a small scream. Misaki quickly put herself between the creatures and Haruka, assuming a battle stance as she did so.

“Th-Those are Noise!” Uruha yelped.

“Yes, but simulated ones. There’s no real risk to them, I assure you,” Ryoko stated blandly. She turned her attention back to the two Gear users.

“Right, so the powers of Gear will allow you mow these Noise down in their hundreds once you know what you’re doing. But a group of five should be a good trial run,” she chirped.

“A-Aren’t hard-light projections still c-capable of h-hurting them…?” Uruha wondered out loud. The thought of encountering these creatures, much less having to fight them, made her shudder, especially knowing what they were capable of.

Misaki gripped her war hammer tightly, shaking her head as if to clear it. “Let’s let off some steam…” she muttered. Behind her, Haruka took on a battle stance of her own, if slightly sloppy and unstable.

The Holo-Noise wasted no time. One of the orange ones extended its arms to an unnatural length, the spikes directed straight at Haruka.

“Ueh!? Wait, wait, I'm not– Aaah!” Caught unprepared, Haruka threw up an arm, catching the attack on her armour as much by luck as by skill. The Holo-Noise’s plate-shaped “hand” bounced off her gauntlet with nary a scratch.

“Good reflexes!” Ryoko called out. She quickly adjusted a few more settings with the simulation.

Two of the green Holo-Noises charged, each aimed at one of the girls. Misaki quickly raised her hammer and swatted hers aside, while Haruka rolled to the side with a yelp, the Holo-Noise’s claw barely missing her hair.

Haruka decided to take the fight to the Holo-Noise, which had landed beside her. “Svalinn, please!” she yelped in desperation. Its response was...actually somewhat helpful; a flash of battle on the snowy slopes, a shieldmaiden pinned down by two burly warriors clad in rough armour the likes of which Haruka had never seen, but somehow still recognized. “Haa!” she exhaled, sending forth a punch at the green Noise that had just attacked her. The swing, while surprisingly solid, fell short, as the green Holo-Noise slid backwards as if friction didn’t affect its being.

Meanwhile, another orange Holo-Noise extended its arms, the spikes aimed straight at Misaki’s face. Misaki noticed the incoming attack and spun her hammer to form a makeshift shield. This blocked off one of the Holo-noise’s arms, but the other snaked behind and dealt a solid smack to her back.

“Ow! Son of a bi- Wait, it didn’t hurt a bit!” Misaki was slightly winded by the strike, but felt no pain whatsoever.

“The Symphogear grants great protection, no? Like I said, it would take a serious amount of Noise like those to even scratch you. I should know, I made them after all,” Ryoko responded smugly.

Uruha watched from the control centre in awe. “They’re amazing…like real heroes…”

“And that could be you too. In fact, your power would be beyond both of them combined~” Ryoko sang. At her words, Uruha went silent again, her face downcast.

Back in the holo-field, Misaki examined the orange Holo-Noise near her and the green one that towered nearby. Another orange Holo-Noise hung around behind the crowd, unmoving. Misaki guessed that one hasn’t been moved by Ryoko yet. “Okay, okay. An attack that hurts…an attack that hurts…” she muttered to herself. As if responding to her request, an image flashed across her mind: A barbarian warrior clad in armour and fur, roaring as he swung his hammer in the midst of a hallowed battlefield. “Got it!”

She lifted her hammer above her head and slammed it shaft-end first into the ground, the force propelling her into the air. “...This one's from tah Mountain Kings, ya ruffians!” She didn’t know where that line came from, but it sounded cool. She lifted the hammer over her head once again, the weapon now buzzing with blue electricity, and slammed it into the ground as she landed.

**> SHAKING/SPARK<**

Bolts of lightning erupted from the point of impact, striking the Holo-Noise around Misaki mercilessly. A stray bolt arced its way over to the immobile Holo-Noise further away, the electricity making it twitch.

The three fried Holo-Noise vaporised into ash which quickly vanished, leaving only the smell of ozone hanging in the air.

“Calling out your relic powers so early! Amazing! Simply amazing!” Ryoko cheered with an almost fanatic excitement.

“That’s amazing, Misaki-senpai…” Uruha breathed. Her senpai truly was great. She could fight like that even on her first try. _Meanwhile, I’m just…_

“…Wow,” Haruka whispered from a distance away, impressed at Misaki's attack. Was that what a Gear could do?

Misaki just smiled sheepishly. “Hehe…I just copied something from Kamen Racer…Anyway, we have more to deal with!”

“Just two more. Barely a warmup for you girls, yes?” Ryoko chuckled. A notification popped up on her tablet just then. Skimming its contents, she let out a small smirk.

On the holo-field, the orange holo-Noise near Haruka whipped its arms at her once again. Distracted by Misaki's show, she didn't see the Noise's attack until it was already coming, and fast–much faster than the last one. She threw herself to the side with all her strength, hoping to dodge. The Holo-Noise’s arms sailed over her head, missing her by a long shot. However, this wasn’t the end of the attack.

In her haste to avoid the orange Holo-Noise, Haruka dived right into the path of the larger, green one. With a swing of its claw, the Holo-Noise swatted Haruka towards the ground.

“Gah!” All the breath in her lungs left them, explosively, as she found herself getting really familiar with the ground. Part of her mind felt that it certainly wasn't fair for holograms to be doing this. Most of the rest, though, was busy hiding in the corner of her mind...and Svalinn was perfectly willing to fill that void with more flashes of combat.

“Haruka!” Misaki yelled in shock.

“E-Eep!” Uruha clapped her hands over her mouth. For being supposed harmless projections, that definitely hurt Haruka from her perspective.

“Fucking bastard!” Misaki charges her war hammer with electricity, this time shining purple. With a yell that sounded more like a guttural roar, she sent the electrified hammer sailing towards the green Holo-Noise that downed Haruka. The hammer tore the Holo-Noise apart and kept sailing, impacting the wall of the holo-field and causing a chunk of hard-light buildings to glitch out of existence.

Misaki raced over to Haruka to help her up, keeping an eye on the orange Holo-Noise nearby. Her war hammer flew back into her hands and she aimed it at the creature as Haruka got back her bearings.

“Is that all what these new users can do? Can they not even handle five messy Noises, projections no less? At least Ichikawa can handle herself...”

A cool female voice rang through the holo-field, and the Holo-Noise suddenly collapsed into a pile of ash that dissipated out of existence. A silver knife with blue accents clanged to the ground, having pierced the Holo-Noise with extreme force and precision.

With the Holo-Noise gone, Misaki and Haruka had a clear view of the holo-field entrance, which had opened moments before. Standing at the door was a blue-haired girl, her flowing hair billowing along with her high side-tail. She was clad in a blue Symphogear similar to Misaki and Haruka, but with a more angular look, blades attached to her ankles and a long sword that resembled a katana. The girl was someone everyone in the room (and Uruha in the control centre) recognised instantly.

“KAZANARI TSUBASA?” Misaki yelled in shock, her voice much louder than she intended to be. Haruka, who was leaning against her, winced as her schoolmate’s voice made her ears ring.

“Sh-She was a Symphogear?” Uruha gasped. Ryoko tittered at her reaction.

“Yup~ Say hello to the user of SG-r01, Kazanari Tsubasa!” Ryoko sang gleefully. It was clear as day that she intended on keeping this a surprise for this moment.

“Hmph,” Tsubasa scoffed as she looked over the two Gear users before her. One with decent power, another managed to get herself attacked even with projections, and one didn’t even bother fighting. “This is the extent of the project huh…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Misaki snapped. Something about Tsubasa’s tone rubbed her the wrong way, and she wasn’t about to take it lying down.

“Tsu-Tsukikage-san, please,” Haruka held the other girl back. It did nobody good to start a fight for a petty reason here.

“Interesting~” Ryoko mused. Uruha noted her odd smile. It was one of…anticipation…?

“Tsubasa-san, wait a minute!” Luna rushed into the holo-field. At the same time, an exhausted-looking Miina rushed into the control centre.

“Sensei! Why are these girls still here? I told you al-” Her tirade was cut off by Ryoko.

“Don’t worry about it,” Ryoko dismissed, her tone bored.

“Wha…?”

In the holo-field, Luna had rushed to join her companions, while Tsubasa continued eyeing them from the entrance.

“LuLu! You’re back quick!” Misaki cheered and gave her friend a tight hug. Luna patted her arm reassuringly, but made no attempt to break free.

“’Twas but a trifle,” she replied.

“Really? I seem to recall you had some trouble, Ichikawa,” Tsubasa remarked. Luna very pointedly ignored her.

“Thank god you two are still in one piece, though,” Luna commented.

“...Er, would we have, um...not been? I like being one piece.” Haruka muttered.

“Hmm,” Ryoko hummed happily as she tapped her tablet on final time. The holo-field fully disengaged, leaving the girls standing in the empty room with dimmed lights. “Have fun girls~ The true test is coming~!” she sang as she turned and exited the control centre.

“What do you me-Wait, sensei, we agreed not to do this yet!” Miina yelled after her in panic.

“Wh-What’s h-happening?” Uruha asked as Miina rushed over to the tablet Ryoko left behind, tapping fruitlessly on the screen.

“Shit! She locked the controls!”

Tsubasa glanced up at the window to the control centre. “It would seem that I have permission…” she muttered.

“Um…What did Ryoko-sensei mean by, uh, ‘true test’?” Haruka pondered.

“I have a baaaaaaaddd feeling about this…” Misaki let go of Luna and gripped her war hammer tightly.

“Let’s see how you fare against a _real_ opponent!” With that, Tsubasa launched herself over the Gear users’ heads, glowing blades materialising all around her.

**> SEN NO RAKURUI (ONE THOUSAND TEARS)<**

The energy blades showered down on the three. Luna and Haruka, predicting the attack range, narrowly jumped out of the area of the attack. Misaki, however, wasn’t so lucky. Her heavier armour weighed her down, leaving her only with the option of taking the attack straight on. The energy blades rained down and sent sparks flying as they bounced off her gauntlets. The blades that made it past her armour nicked her undersuit and body, drawing tiny drops of blood.

The ground around Misaki was now littered with blades, leaving her little to no room for movement. Not that she could move, as she found herself immobile, held by some unseen force.

**> KAGENUI (SHADOW WEAVING)<**

With a smirk, Tsubasa launched herself towards Misaki as soon as she landed, delivering a solid kick to the girl’s stomach that sent her flying five feet.

“Not bad reflexes, except you,” Tsubasa pointed her sword at Misaki. “You need to be faster. Enemies can use attacks to paralyse and leave you vulnerable.”

“Why are you doing this? Aren’t we allies?” Misaki shouted as she picked herself off the ground. Her injuries felt no worse than a scraped knee, thank to Mjolnir’s defences. “Shouldn't we band together to fight the Noise?!”

“How do you expect to combat the Noise when you can’t even deal with this attack? If you can’t survive…then you’re better off dead,” Tsubasa said coldly.

“This is training…right?” Haruka asked Luna, who was glaring at Tsubasa. Her heart was pounding in her ears, her hands shaking from the adrenaline. She really wished she was off taking photos right now…

“I’m afraid not,” Luna admitted. “Tsubasa only respects strength. She is going all-out to test our mettle, whether we have the power of step up to our destinies…”

“That’s just-” Haruka’s protest was interrupted by Tsubasa lunging at them with a swing of her blade.

“Don’t lose your focus on the battlefield! If you have time to chat, you have time to figure out how to beat the opponent before you!” she yelled.

“S-Sensei, can’t you stop Tsubasa-san?” In the control centre, Uruha grabbed the hem of Miina’s lab coat, pleading to her.

“I’m trying, but sensei locked the control tablet for the holo-field, I couldn’t generate anything to restrain Miss Sunshine if I wanted to!” Miina tried tapping another passcode into the tablet, only to be denied once again. In her other hand, her thumb flew over the keyboard of her phone. “Come on, somebody! I need the Commander in here stat!”

“Oh no…” Uruha turned back to the window. She could only watch helplessly as the fight continued.

“Ha!” Luna let out a yell as she swung her scythe, aiming for Tsubasa’s torso.

“Too slow!” Tsubasa intercepts the blow with her back of her sword, using the momentum to flip over the scythe blade.

“Um...er...” Haruka stammered as she scrambled around to the other side of Tsubasa, going for a position that practically glowed to Svalinn. She didn't realize why, though, for a second: it was to catch Tsubasa in a burst of ice without hitting Luna! 

**> THE BLUE<**

With a rush of wind, the ground around Haruka froze solid, snow and ice whirling around her. The ice rushed towards where Tsubasa stood.

“Interesting! You can use your relic after all!” Tsubasa smirked. Despite how impressed she was, though, she still easily dodged the attack, leaping once again into the air. She flipped and changed trajectories, aiming her blade towards Misaki again.

“Misaki, watch out!” Luna yelled to her friend. She knew it was probably fruitless, though, as Tsubasa swung her sword towards Misaki’s head.

Misaki hastily lifted her hammer to try and block the incoming blow, but Tsubasa drew her blade back at the last moment, crouching low and striking Misaki’s side.

Misaki felt the wind getting knocked from her lungs, but stood fast, gripping Tsubasa’s blade. “Just...STOP!” she grunted.

“Hmph,” Tsubasa snorted. She had to admit she was impressed by the Tsukikage resisting her blade. “For being slow, you at least have some armour…” She pulled her blade back, slashing Misaki’s side, and leapt backwards.

“Too bad I have broken through harder armours!” Tsubasa yelled as her raised blade began morphing.

**> AO NO ISSEN (BLUE FLASH)<**

Tsubasa’s sword now converted from a katana to a broadsword nearly twice her height. The weight of the sword, combined with Tsubasa’s own swing, sent the weapon plummeting down towards Misaki once again.

Misaki, seeing no way to avoid the giant blade, took the strike head on. While her Symphogear managed to protect her from damage, the floor wasn’t so lucky. In an instant, a dent formed under Misaki’s feet, or more accurately, a crater of five feet radius. She was forced to her knees as Tsubasa’s sword folded back into its default form.

Tsubasa smirked as she withdrew her blade. “I see...Maybe you are worthy of it after all, Tsukikage.”

“Miina-sensei!” Uruha yelled desperately.

“Shit shit shit shit shit…” Miina gritted her teeth as she continued to get locked out of the control tablet. Just then, the doors of the control centre opened once again and Ryoko strode back in, as if she didn’t just initiate an all-out brawl between her Symphogear users.

“Sensei! You need to call off the fight right now!” Miina yelled, waving the tablet at her mentor.

“No can’t do, dear protégé of mine,” Ryoko replied in her usual singsong manner, plucking the tablet out of Miina’s hands. “You know as well as I do that dear Tsubasa-chan won’t recognise them as Symphogears unless they do this.”

“But they’re not _ready,_ ” Miina growled.

“And they never will be if you keep babying them. Don’t worry, I called Genjuuro over. He’s coming in about…five minutes.”

“Dammit…” Miina could only helplessly look over at the escalating fight.

“Senpais…” Uruha gripped the relic case in her hands, her knuckles white from the strain.

In the holo-field, Tsubasa flipped over from where she faced off with Misaki and landed in a handstand, her sword having dissipated into particles of light. She began quickly spinning like a top, the blades attached to her ankles unfolding into swords as long as her katana.

**> GYAKU RASETSU (REVERSE RAKSHASA)<**

Tsubasa’s entire body became a spinning blade that made a beeline for Luna and Haruka. The blades slammed into the girls’ sides, dragging them along into a tornado with Tsubasa at the centre.

Luna and Haruka found themselves tossed into the air, disoriented from their earlier spinning. Tsubasa’s spinning didn’t let up, though, as she flung herself into the air after the girls, her sword materialising into her hands again. The tornado of sword has now transformed from two blades to a triple-bladed human top.

**> MUKYO SANZAN (FEARLESS THREE BLADES)<**

Luna and Haruka got drawn into the tornado yet again, the blades tearing past their armour this time. As they were tossed around, they realised that they were screaming as pain shot through their bodies.

The two Gear users dropped to the ground, tiny shards of their armour raining down after them. Luna tried to push herself up, but the action sapped the last of her strength and she collapsed once again.

Misaki watched her friends fall, their still figures making something in her head snap. Her vision tunnelled, seeing only the blue-haired _bitch_ with the sword. Every fibre of her being heated up and she could almost hear a voice in her head screaming for her to attack. If she had been paying attention to anything else, she would notice that white lightning was now running across her entire body, dark wisps resembling storm clouds swirling around her feet and over her head.

“...you...sordid...little...” Misaki lifted her war hammer above her head and started spinning it. The lightning running over the hammer head intensified into a glowing ring of white light. She flung the hammer forward, the momentum pulling both her and the hammer straight towards Tsubasa. The sheer speed caught Tsubasa off-guard, the swordswoman barely able to turn around to face Misaki before the hammer connected with her stomach. The momentum of the hammer continued, shoving her into a wall with a huge crash. The wall collapsed and revealed the concrete behind the metal walls, kicking up a huge cloud of concrete dust. The cloud was soon dispersed though, as Misaki slammed her hammer into the ground and kicked up a giant gust of wind.

Tsubasa picked herself up and assumed a battle stance, while Misaki glared at her, a strange glow behind her eyes. The hammer user lifted her weapon and charged with unnatural speed. Tsubasa braced herself to meet the blow with her sword, the weapon starting to unfold into a new form…

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” A voice booming through the holo-field stopped everyone in their tracks. Misaki and Tsubasa glanced over to the source of the voice, only to see a hulking figure at the entrance of the holo-field: Kazanari Genjuuro.

“Tsubasa, that’s enough! You too, Misaki-kun!” It was clear as day that Genjuuro was mad, his face set in hard lines that made him look even more like a lion than his dark red mane of hair already made him look.

Tsubasa immediately complied. She dropped her sword, letting it dissipate into light particles again. In a flash of blue light, her clothes changed from her Symphogear into a standard Lydian school uniform. She folded her arms with a “hmph”, watching Misaki.

Misaki was still breathing heavily, the adrenaline coursing through her veins making her brain freeze up. Part of her noticed the large crater behind Tsubasa, and she became slowly aware that she did that. She heard a loud crash as her hammer fell to the ground, and her vision was bathed in a white light as she reverted out of her Symphogear.

Genjuuro had hurried over to help Luna and Haruka up. The girls had scratches and chips in their armour and looked exhausted, but were otherwise fine.

In the control centre, Miina let out a huge sigh of relief, quickly grabbing onto the windowsill to steady her shaking knees. The nausea she felt was back in full force, and she knew exactly why. _I did this…I made them part of this project…_

Uruha fell to her knees, the strength in her entire body leaving her in an instant now that the fighting stopped. She looked down at her shaking hands, which had dropped the Gear pendant case onto her lap. _I…I couldn’t do anything…I just watched…as always…_

Ryoko let a small smile spread across her face as she strode over to the window. Genjuuro had arrived earlier than she anticipated, but no matter. She found out some interesting things…

Tsubasa flicked a strand of blue hair away from her face and strode out of the room, arms crossed. As she passed Luna and Haruka though, she noticed something that made her pause. Both girls were scratched and slightly battered, though not severely. She adjusted the sharpness of Ame-no-Habakiri beforehand, after all. However, Haruka’s Gear was what looked out of the ordinary.

While the girl’s grey and blue armour was battered with a few deeper cuts, none of those scratches reached the mirror on her gauntlet. Several gashes in the gauntlet looked as if they should have continued past it, but the mirror was pristine regardless. _Is that what felt off when I struck…?_

As she came to that realisation, a small smirk spread across Tsubasa’s face. “So you do have some potential after all…”

“Ueh?” Haruka looked up when she heard some mumbling from Tsubasa, only to see the idol already walking out of the holo-field. She considered calling after her, but decided against it. One fight was already one fight too many, in her opinion. She felt a tugging on her right, and Luna eased herself out from her position leaning on Haruka’s shoulder to hobble over to Misaki, who had sunk to her knees.

“I nearly…I was gonna…” Misaki stared at her shaking hands. She was so consumed by anger seeing Tsubasa down her friends that she lost herself. If the commander hadn’t arrived, she would have swung that blow without hesitation, with full and complete intent to kill…

“Misaki.” A warm hand on her shoulder made her jump. “Are you alright?”

Luna was suddenly beside her, her brow furrowed. As her friend reverted out of her Symphogear in a flash of lavender light, she knelt down and drew her face close. Misaki felt her pulse rise again as a mild sweet scent wafted into her nose. She should really get this checked out with Miina; all this excitement made her forget about it.

“I-I’m fine…” Damn, her tone definitely didn’t sound fine. Luna obviously thought so too, as she placed a hand on her friend’s forehead.

“You must be worn out…that was a very impressive showing against Tsubasa, especially seeing it was your maiden voyage,” Luna gave her friend a smile.

“Um…I guess you girls come up here for a debrief…you’ve had more than enough for today…” Miina’s voice came over the intercom.

“Right, away, Miina-sensei!” Luna quickly helped Misaki up and directed both her and Haruka out of the holo-field.

In the control centre, Uruha remained on her knees, staring at her lap. Miina watched from the side, wondering what to say.

“I must say, that was great!” Ryoko chirped. “Two out of three isn’t bad, and both of them activated the Symphogears on the first try! Wonderful~”

“Sensei…” Miina began, keeping one eye on Uruha, who had jerked a little from Ryoko’s words.

“So, Uruha-chan, have you thought a bit more about this offer? You ready to help us save the world?” Ryoko asked. Uruha lifted her head and looked over at Ryoko, her eyes still unfocused.

“I…I…don’t know…I can’t…I’m not able to fight like that…” Uruha mumbled.

“Pathetic.”

The harsh tone drew the attention of everyone in the command centre. Tsubasa stood against a table console, glaring at the small girl on the ground.

“This is the one who had the highest Phonic Gain? That’s just disappointing.” Tsubasa’s words cut nearly as deeply as her blades did just minutes ago as she strode over to Uruha.

“I…I…” Uruha stammered. Tsubasa was already an idol beyond her status, but her barbed words made it harder to hear.

“Listen, you’re here now, so you have two choices: stand up and fight, or throw the Gear away, walk out of this base and forget this ever happened to live your life in ignorance. Hesitation will only bring harm,” Tsubasa stood over the girl, glaring at her. To Uruha, Tsubasa seemed like a giant.

“I don’t care what BOARD thinks, it was a mistake to have you as part of the project.” With those last words, Tsubasa departed the control centre.

“Thanks for the words of encouragement, Miss Sunshine…” Miina grumbled as Uruha sunk into her depression again.

Uruha stared at the case still in her lap, the glowing “04” staring back at her coldly. _What do I want to do? What_ can _I do…?_

Her hands clasped the hem of her skirt. Her mind was in such a mess right now, she could only keep asking herself those questions over and over.

————————————————————

** Project Forte Personnel Files **

Name: Ichikawa Luna

Age: 15

Birthday: 18th June 2027

Height: 167cm

Weight: 55kg

Profile:

Luna is a half-Japanese, half-American high school student who has recently transferred to Lydian Academy and born in San Francisco. Her parents were both known to be archaeologists that would frequently study ancient relics from Greece and were often in and out of the house during their expeditions. As a child, she developed an interest in video games (most namely visual novels and fighting games) and would often be taken to arcades by her father whenever returning home from work.

One day however, a woman by the name of Sakurai Ryoko had come to her house with the news that her parents had mysteriously vanished, and that she was to escort Luna safely to Japan. Utterly bewildered, Luna was practically dragged to the airport by Sakurai as she did her best to console the grief-stricken child. From that moment forward, Luna swore to never abandon others in need no matter the circumstances.

Several years later, she was recruited as a member of Project Forte and trained for nearly a year before officially transferring into Lydian Academy. Luna quickly joined the drama club and gained a reputation for being overdramatic on and off stage. Despite her eccentric attitude, she is still anxious to uncover the truth of her parents’ disappearance. 

In battle, Luna wields the Scythe of Cronus, dashing and slashing through any noise that stand in her path. The Scythe of Cronus also allows Luna to teleport herself, objects and other people over long distances. However, since this ability can only be activated via touch, enemies can may have the opportunity to "hitch a ride" with anyone or anything that Luna is about to transport.

While Luna enjoys quiet moments to read and reread Shakespearean classics, she is still fairly sociable with other people, placing a great deal of importance on maintaining strong friendships with whoever she can. 

In her spare time, Luna usually spends hours engrossing herself in visual novels or playing online matches in fighting games, usually as a way to try to escape the weight of her responsibilities. She has also taken a deep interest in Shakespearean classics and mythology. It's not uncommon her to reference the works of Shakespeare during normal conversations.


	3. Episode 2: Clash of Noise

Episode 2: Clash of Noise

* * *

Miina strolled down the street, her feet bringing her to a certain store. The simple but elegant wooden signboard read “Flower Restaurant”, hung over a pastel pink door.

“Yup, seems like the right place…” she muttered to herself as she glanced at the map on her phone again. Pushing open the door, she strode in and waved politely to the greeting employee at the counter. Her eyes scanned the family restaurant before settling on a certain lavender-haired girl.

“MiiMii!” Misaki greeted, her boisterous tone a few notches lower than usual. As Miina approached her charge, she noticed that Misaki’s usual peach-coloured visage was a tinge more ashen than usual, and her sclera were a touch pink.

“Didn’t sleep well?” She immediately kicked herself as the question slipped through her lips. Who opened with a question like that?

Misaki looked slightly taken aback, but quickly recovered, her shoulders drooping. “Yeah. I was…thinking about stuff.”

The way Misaki said “stuff” immediately caught Miina’s notice. “You mean about the project?”

Misaki stiffened a little. Right on the money, it seems. “Well…yes, but it’s a little more complicated than that.”

Miina quickly ordered an iced tea and a sandwich before turning back to Misaki. The girl seemed…smaller than usual, which is strange given her larger-than-life energy which could probably power an entire city if they could convert it to electricity. _Fiddling with her hands, wavering line of sight…this girl is too easy to read…_

“Well, let’s hear it. I think you asked me here to talk about it?” Miina leaned forward and gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile. It was hard for her to tell these days.

Misaki paused, her mouth opening slightly, then closing it again. After a couple of seconds of this struggle, she rubbed her hands on her face and took a deep breath, a whispered “okay” slipping out with her sigh. “It’s…about that fight we had with the sword idiot.”

“Sword idiot…? Oh, Miss Sunshine. I see…” Miina admitted that she found the nickname kind of funny. Tsubasa was pretty dumb when it came to things not related to slicing Noise to bits.

“Yeah…In the end when she knocked out LuLu and Haruka…I…kind of lost it,” Misaki continued hesitantly.

“…You mean when you unleashed that hit?”

“Yeah…” Misaki reached up and grabbed her Gear pendant, now hanging around her neck on a leather cord.

Miina thanked the waitress who brought her order, then glanced around to make sure nobody else was listening in on them. “Well, we detected a spike in your phonic gain right before that attack you unleashed, as well as a drop in atmospheric pressure localized around you.”

“It felt…much more than that,” Misaki’s voice has dropped to a mutter, almost as if she was talking to herself.

“When I saw LuLu and Haruka on the ground, I just got so angry…I couldn’t see anything else…” Misaki was staring at the tablecloth, but her eyes saw something else. She saw the sight she was seeing in that fight again. She saw Tsubasa standing over Luna and Haruka, the creeping red in her vision, the sparks that arced momentarily around her. She gripped her trembling legs, trying to will them to stop, and took several shuddering breaths. “I…I wanted to hurt her as revenge…and I heard…something telling me to do it too…”

Miina took a sip of her iced tea, her face calm, but her mind reeling. _Her anger boosted her Phonic Gain…? And what she said about hearing something…_

“Mind telling me more? What did you hear?” Miina’s voice betrayed her anxiousness.

“U-Um…it’s less of a clear voice, it’s more of a feeling, or rather an impulse…” Misaki stopped shaking, her face scrunched up in concentration.

“I see…” Miina took another sip of her drink as she thought of how to explain it to the girl. Didn’t need her freaking out in public, after all. “This may be a similar phenomenon to what Haruka reported to us about the Gear sharing knowledge from its own history,” she began. “Mjolnir was a weapon that saw a lot of war, and coupled with your burst of anger, probably gave you a wrong impression of wanting to…retaliate with force.”

“I…see…” Misaki replied pensively. “So it’s me _wanting_ to hurt her…”

Miina had no response to that. She definitely couldn’t agree with Misaki’s approach during that fight, though she also knew that Tsubasa wasn’t the kind who would let up anyway. If anything, Misaki acted in self-defence. _It’s just a question of whether she can react with appropriate force from now on, unlike what she did back there…_

A little ring of the bell at the front entrance drew both their attention momentarily, and they watched a petite girl walk in, spot them, and all but scurry over. “U-Um…i-is this a bad time…?” Uruha glanced between Misaki and Miina, noting the awkward air around them. She clutched her small sling bag’s strap, as if using it as a security blanket.

“Of course not, Uruha. In fact, we’ve been waiting for you,” Miina forced herself to put on what she hoped to be a warm smile and gestured to the remaining empty seat at the table. With a soft “okay”, Uruha took her seat, fidgeting as her eyes darted between the sullen Misaki and terse Miina.

“Misaki and I were just having a discussion about what happened yesterday,” Miina decided to explain to the girl.

“Yesterday…o-oh!” Uruha glanced over to Misaki, who still looked a little depressed. “M-Misaki-senpai…are you upset over how you responded to Tsubasa-san’s attack…?”

“Huh?” Misaki’s hung head shot up, staring wide-eyed at her junior. “Wh-wha…?”

“I-I’m sorry! I-I’m being presumptuous, a-aren’t I? I-I shouldn’t assume stuff just from my own misunderstandings…”

“N-No, that’s not it at all, Uruha!” Misaki waved her hands quickly to reassure the girl. “B-But how…?”

“W-Well, y-you looked quite depressed over s-something…and M-Miina-sensei mentioned y-you were talking about y-yesterday…a-and you seemed quite upset over something when y-you left the training room too…” Uruha explained.

Miina watched as the small girl explained her reasoning. _Just like what I’ve seen, her skills at observing people are off the charts…to be able to pinpoint Misaki’s problem right off the bat…_

Misaki rubbed her neck sheepishly. “Well, you kind of hit the nail on the head, UruUru,” she chuckled. “It’s…kinda shameful, really. I couldn’t keep my emotions in check…”

“Th-That’s not entirely true…” Uruha responded quietly. “Y-You reacted how you did because y-you say Luna-senpai and Haruka-senpai injured…I-I think that shows you care…”

“Oh?” Miina couldn’t help but respond. She tried to keep her expression as neutral as possible, though. She wasn’t in position to influence the conversation right now.

“O-Of course, th-that’s not to say you responded a-appropriately…” Uruha continued. Her glance at Miina allowed her to catch the barely-visible quirk of the woman’s eyebrow. “It’s about responding with appropriate force…which you kind of went overboard with…b-but I’m sure your reasons for it were right…your heart was in the right place, and…uh…” Uruha’s eyes darted between Misaki and Miina, who were both now staring at her with great interest. “I-I’m sorry! I-I’m being out of line and making assumptions here…!”

“UruUru…” Misaki’s eyes teared up a little as she pounced on the girl, drawing her junior into a hug. “Th-Thank you…!”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself, really, Uruha,” Miina agreed with a warm smile, this time for real. _This girl may have potential to bring the team together for real…_

Misaki released the smaller girl and started stroking her head. “I…I think I needed to hear that…just to make sure I wasn’t going crazy…”

Uruha dared to give a small smile in response. “W-Well, it’s the least I could do…after yesterday…I-I’m sorry…”

“You’re apologizing an awful lot. What’s this about?” Miina leaned over the table. She could probably guess what the girl was going to bring up. That was her main purpose of calling her here with Misaki, after all.

“Everyone else could take up th-the S-Symphogears…while I just did nothing and yelled at you and Ryoko-sensei to stop Tsubasa-san…” Uruha mumbled to her lap. Miina spotted a couple of drops splash on her lap. Before Miina realised what she was doing, she had reached over and started patting Uruha’s head. “Now, now…” she muttered reassuringly. Part of her kept screaming to not get attached, but another part of her felt…right reassuring the girl.

“I-I want to help…but I…I don’t know what to do…when I think about fighting, I just freeze up…but I also don’t want to just sit there doing nothing when I know I can help…” Uruha continued mumbling, a couple more tears falling.

“It’s fine, Uruha,” Misaki reached over and brushed away her tears. “Not everyone can just jump in and be a big dang hero...if anything, I’d say the three of us are abnormal for doing this,” she joked.

“It’s also on me for not being able to convince them...I tried to push for you to be taken off the project and to use our original candidate instead...but once your reports came in with your well...insane Phonic Gain...the UN forced the commander’s hand,” Miina admitted. She had no idea why she was telling this to them, but the words spilled out anyway.

“Sensei…” Misaki tried to reach out to Miina to comfort her too, but the redhead quickly shook her head.

“Regardless, I’m not in the position to take you off the project, but both me and the commander can try to make sure you don’t enter the battlefield. Is that okay? All we need you to do is participate in our weekly sync tests for us to gather more data…” Miina could barely suppress the desperation in her tone.

“…Okay,” Uruha responded after a long pause. Misaki grabbed her junior for another squeeze. “It’s okay, UruUru, I’ll work hard enough for both of us!”

“I’m sorry, you two…” Miina sighed. “If I could I would fight, but I can't. All I can do is make weapons for you to fight with. But I swear, one day I'll crack the code and make sure that kids don't have to fight this battle anymore. Please, just give me time.”

“I’ll leave it to you, MiiMii!” Misaki gave Miina a grin, a total opposite of her sombre mood minutes ago.

“I…I trust you, Miina-sensei!” Uruha gave Miina a gleaming smile through the last of her tears.

Miina felt a warmth in the pit of her stomach as she saw the two girls, and the warmth quickly rushed to her cheeks. “You two are putting way too much trust in me…I’m just an infirmary teacher, you know…” Regardless, she couldn’t help but return a smile. “But…I’ll do my best.”

A buzzing interrupted the fuzzy atmosphere, Uruha jumping out of her seat as if electrocuted. “I-I’m sorry! I’ll just take this call!” She scrambles out of her seat and walks out of the restaurant. As she left, Miina and Misaki caught brief snippets of her conversation.

“Hello? Oh, yes, good day to you too…about the stream this week…”

“Uruha seems like a busy girl…she does that sometimes when we hang out…” Misaki mused.

“Well, I’m not surprised, given what Section Two reported in her file,” Miina replied offhandedly before kicking herself for mentioning it.

“Oh?” Misaki quirked an eyebrow. “Section Two knows?”

“I’m not at liberty to tell you though. Confidentiality and all that. But yes, we looked into your backgrounds briefly. The UN didn’t want the risk of any details of the project falling into the wrong hands, after all.”

“Fair enough. So you know about my…?” Misaki’s unspoken question trailed off into the air.

“Yes, we do. In fact, that was the reason you were selected to participate,” Miina responded.

“I see…” Misaki grew pensive again.

Uruha finally returned to the table, a little breathless from her rush. “I-I’m sorry for interrupting that…”

“It’s cool, UruUru!” Misaki ruffled the girl’s hair, her pensive state disappearing as suddenly as it had returned. Miina pushed down her reservations and smiled gently at the small girl. “We don’t mind. Anyway, now that we have the heavy stuff out of the way, let’s eat! Order whatever you want, it’s my treat,” she offered the menu to Uruha.

“Th-Thank you, sensei…” Uruha took the menu and began scrutinising it.

“I recommend the pizza! Oh and the lasagne! And their parfaits are good too!” Misaki began cheerily pointing out menu items.

Miina leaned back and sipped her iced tea, the ice having completely melted ages ago. For the first time in months, she didn’t feel that usual nausea as she watched the two girls before her.

————————————————————

_ [May 9th, 2043] _

“Alright, girls!” Genjuuro’s voice boomed through the holo-field with his usual gusto. “We’ll be putting you through a basic training exercise, just to run you through the rigour of an actual combat situation!”

“Hell yeah!” Misaki responded to his enthusiasm with a shout of her own, pumping her fists in the air. Her long lavender hair was tied in a high ponytail today, and she was clad in a red tracksuit, a standard issue one from Lydian.

“Calm down a little, Misaki,” Luna patted her friend on the shoulder. Misaki had been unusually energetic for the past few days, ever since she met with Miina in Flower. _Wonder what happened…?_

“Um…Another training exercise? So, um, something more rigorous than last week…?” Haruka gulped as she remembered the beating they got from Tsubasa.

Genjuuro gave Haruka a small pat on the shoulder. “You won’t be fighting any Gear users today,” he assured. “Tsubasa’s actions went beyond what I was informed of. She was given an appropriate warning for her actions.”

Haruka nodded slowly in response to that. Part of her wanted to protest that a warning is a little too lenient for what they went through, but she wasn’t about to contradict her commander. She was technically a member of a paramilitary organisation now, after all.

“We will use a city street setting for this one. You girls will probably be deployed to areas within Tokyo for Noise attacks anyway.” Genjuuro signalled to Miina, who was on standby in the control centre, and the holo-field around them immediately started generating a new simulation. In an instant, the girls and their commander stood in the middle of an empty street, which was familiar to Haruka.

“Akihabara? Um, so we’re simulating a fight in the middle of the town?”

“Yes! We’ll do this in stages. Once you defeat a wave of Noise, we add another 10 to the next wave!” Genjuuro grinned and gave them a thumbs up. “Any questions?”

A small, trembling hand rose into the air. “Yes! Uruha-kun!” Genjuuro dropped his volume by a few levels to avoid scaring Uruha.

“U-Um…I know this,” she gestured to the box containing her Gear pendant. “C-can let us transform, but h-how do we use it…?”

“Sing, Uruha-kun! Find your will to fight and sing the song of your heart!”

“Hmm... just clench your butt and grit your teeth, then sing your heart out,” Misaki offered.

“That’s…not helpful, Misaki,” Luna nudged her friend.

“Huh? But for me it’s like a ‘UWAAAAHH’ and a ‘BAM!’ and then ‘BZZZT!’” Misaki waved her hands around wildly, trying to illustrate her point. Pointedly ignoring Misaki’s wild gesturing, Haruka patted Uruha’s shoulder. “Um, if I may, Uruha-san, just focusing on the Gear should be able to tell you what you need to do,” she suggested. Uruha gave her senior a tiny nod, then opened the box.

**[Anti-Noise Combat System SG-F04. User identified. Welcome, Uruha Sakagami]**

Uruha gingerly lifted the red jewel from its satin bed, feeling the cold surface of the gem against her fingers. She clutched it tightly in her palms and screwed her eyes shut, trying to concentrate on the pendant in her hands.

“Let the melody of the soul guide you to its proper destination,” Luna advised gently.

“In the meantime, I’ll set the stage for the training,” Miina spoke over the intercom system. She tapped a line of code into the control tablet to activate the holograms in the training room. The room was instantly bathed in red as the simulated sky was dyed a blood red, and snow began falling from the ceiling.

“Uh…” Misaki looked up at the sky, perplexed. Red skies and snow together weren’t exactly natural. Shrugging, she began sticking out her tongue to try and catch a snowflake, only to find that the snow dissipated instantly on contact. “Aw…”

“I, uh, was expecting the training to involve something like trust falls first…” Haruka mused hesitantly. Genjuuro let out his usual laugh.

“You can’t train like that! Don’t worry, this is easy! Then later we’ll watch The Matrix to train your reflexes!” Haruka was about to protest the logic of that, but felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Luna’s face only a couple inches from hers, making her yelp.

“Forget it…The commander has…interesting views on using movies for training…” Luna whispered into Haruka’s ear. The voice made Haruka’s spine tingle weirdly, but she shook it off quickly.

While this commotion happened, Uruha took several deep breaths, feeling the cold gem against her palms. Strangely enough, the jewel remained frigid despite sitting in her clenched hands. She opened her mouth, but only a few strangled notes came out of her throat.

“…You doing alright there, UruUru?” Misaki patted the smaller girl’s back as she appeared to start doing her best impression of a puking fish. Uruha shook her head in response, looking like she was about to cry. “Nothing’s coming to me…no song or anything…”

Genjuuro let out a thoughtful hum, a hand rubbing his chin. “Uruha-kun,” he bent down to look the girl in the eye. “You don’t need to force yourself if the gear isn’t responding. You can go up to the control room with Miina-kun.”

“I have hot cocoa here!” Miina piped up.

Uruha looked between Genjuuro, Miina, and her friends, who were all staring at her with concern. She finally nodded her head. “Okay…” With that, she plodded out of the training room, looking remarkably like a kicked puppy.

Genjuuro cleared his throat and began addressing the rest of the team. “Alright, the rest of you get into position, we’ll start-” His address was interrupted by blaring sirens echoing through the walls of the base.

“Wh-What happened?” Haruka stammered.

“Commander, we have Noise attacks! One at Tokyo Bay, one in Nakano!” Miina reported.

“Two of them? In two different locations? Tch…” Genjuuro gestured to the girls to follow him, the team rushing to follow.

————————————————————

When they entered the command centre, there was a flurry of voices, all reporting the conditions of the signals. “What’s the magnitude of the attack?” Genjuuro barked.

“Sir, we’re picking up Phase Distortion Level 7!” Aoi reported from her terminal.

“W-We’re either looking at a th-thousand Plague-class Noise, or at worst t-two S-Slaughter-class ones…” Nicole added, standing behind Aoi to examine her terminal.

“Where’s Tsubasa?”

“Ready to deploy. She’s on standby at the launch lift for the location to get to!”

“Even Miss Sunshine can’t take two Slaughter-classes in two separate locations alone…” Miina mused as she finally joined them in the command centre.

“Well then it’s perfect! We can test Project Forte on the field!” Ryoko chirped.

“WHAT?!” Miina yelled. Beside her, Uruha let out a yelp. “Sensei, you _know_ they’re not ready for field combat, especially not against a Slaughter-class!”

“And I’m not expecting them to defeat it! They just need to be able to hold off the Noise until Tsubasa can get there! Unless you think your Forte Gears can’t even do that, hm~?” Ryoko raised a brow. Genjuuro nodded in agreement. “Miina-kun, I know how you feel, but we have no choice here. Tsubasa can’t be in two places at once.”

Miina opened her mouth to protest, but quickly closed it. With gritted teeth, she slowly nodded. “Understood…”

“Very well. Tomosato-kun, get Tsubasa deployed to Tokyo Bay!” Genjuuro raised his voice over to chatter.

“Got it!” Aoi replied in affirmative, then switched to her headset and began relaying orders.

With that, Genjuuro turned to the girls, who had been listening to the conversation with pale faces.

“Misaki-kun, Haruka-kun, I’m sorry we need to do this, but we need you to deploy in a mission straight away. You heard the situation,” he spoke, voice low and hollow.

“Uh, um, so a Slaughter-class is…?” Haruka asked with a raised hand.

“Think ‘walking 10-storey building,” Ryoko replied with her usual pep. Haruka barely suppressed a whimper.

“Like we said, we just need you to hold it off until we can evacuate the area completely and let Tsubasa defeat the Noise in Tokyo Bay without concern,” Genjuuro shook his head.

The girls glanced at each other, Haruka and Misaki especially looking towards Luna for a cue, being the veteran of the group.

“…Understood. We shall do our utmost,” Luna declared.

“Good. Go down the hallway and turn left to the fifth door. We have a deployment elevator to send you over to Nakano,” Genjuuro replied.

Uruha looked around, lost as to what she should be doing. “U-Um…”

“Sakagami-chan, you’re staying here. You still haven’t managed to activate your Symphogear, have you?” Ryoko quickly chided, giving Uruha a cheery wink. That only made the small girl sink into even deeper depression.

“…Let’s go, we have no time to waste. We shall save the masses from the despair of Tartarus on Earth!” Luna declared with a flourish. Haruka and Misaki decided not to rebuke her theatrics and followed her out of the command room.

“…” A dejected Uruha stared at the pendant still sitting in her palm, cold as ever. She clasped her hands over the gem in prayer. That was all she could do right now.

————————————————————

Misaki and Haruka fidgeted nervously as the elevator ascended, the tension around them palpable.

“I thought we were going to at least have some proper training before being sent out on combat,” Haruka murmured.

“I’m guessing our fight with the Sword Dummy is as close to combat training as we’re gonna get! Ahaha…” Even Misaki’s usual laugh rang hollow.

Luna turned to her two friends, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. “Worry not, my friends! We can do this! We just need to trust that Tsubasa-san can make it over to us quickly!” she said bracingly. In the back of her mind, she thanked her experience with the drama club allowing her to mask her own anxiety. A Slaughter-class was no joke for rookies on the field, and even she wasn’t sure she could take the Noise.

The humming of the lift got louder, signalling to the girls that they were about to reach the surface. They braced themselves and took out their pendants.

“I guess…we have no real choice now,” Haruka sighed. She stared at the pendant between her fingers, and she could have sworn the jewel twinkled back at her as if responding to her statement.

“Let’s do this!” Misaki raised her voice a little, hoping to disperse her nervousness.

Luna brought out her pendant and gripped it tightly. The other two followed suit.

**_=Cronus Ens... Vi...Tier Tron=_ **

**_=Rha Ailda Mjolnir Tron=_ **

**_=Hann stendr Svalinn heitir tron=_ **

The lift was bathed in a wave of light as the concealed doors opened into the city. The girls, now clad in their Symphogear, only to be met by a sight they weren’t prepared for.

Right before their eyes, a humanoid monster stood, towering over the girls and some of the surrounding buildings. It was almost completely back, with a purple torso and red accents over its body. Instead of the flat plates on the Noise they have seen thus far, the Noise had long, sharp blades at the ends of its arms. As it passed the street, cars parked at the side of the road disintegrated into ash as its legs brushed the vehicles.

“This is Luna. We have encountered the Slaughter-class Noise. Estimated 30 meters,” Luna’s tone as she spoke into the communications set in her Gear was tense, her eyes never leaving the noise as it stomped along the street.

“Understood. You need to hold it off and reduce the range of its damage,” Genjuuro’s voice replied.

Luna gave a small nod, then turned to glance at her friends. “Ready?”

“We don’t really have a choice,” Haruka sighed. Her gauntlet hissed and released a burst of mist, as if in response to her resignation. Misaki hefted her hammer and gave an affirmative nod.

“Then we’re going!” With that cry, Luna leapt into action, charging straight at the Slaughter-class Noise with her scythe deployed. Her jump allowed her to reach the Noise and swing her weapon across its leg, but did little except to leave a small scratch that slowly started repairing itself. The Noise paused, then immediately turned and began to swing a bladed arm towards Luna.

“Luna-san!” With that warning yell, Haruka landed between Luna and the incoming guillotine, barely managing to block the strike with her gauntlet. The force of the blow, however, sent both of them flying in a gust of wind.

In the command centre, Miina and Uruha stared at the main screen relaying the fight. Miina felt her usual bout of nausea as she watched Haruka and Luna get smacked into the air, the demons in her head once again screaming at her for involving the girls. Uruha, meanwhile, stared unblinkingly at the scene, mumbling to herself.

“Haruka-senpai as tank, Luna-senpai as a secondary support while Misaki-senpai acts as DPS…” Her mumbling was barely heard over the ruckus of the many reports coming in from the operator terminals. Her fingers, however, tapped on her lap, as if inputting keyboard controls.

On the field, Misaki quickly put herself between her teammates and the Noise, who had now noticed its adversaries and changed directions to face them.

“LuLu, if you have a plan, I’d love to hear it right about now!” she yelled.

Haruka, having shaken the daze from being flung several feet, now observed her surroundings. Several office buildings and skyscrapers, all full of shiny glass. Maybe…

“Luna-san, can the Noise see by light? Or are they blind and detect Phonic Gain?” she quickly asked.

“Huh? They, uh, are presumably able to see. We notice that their movements get slower when attacking at night…”

“In that case, Misaki-san, Luna-san, cover your eyes!” Haruka requested as she focused on her gauntlet, imagining what she needed of Svalinn. Her gauntlet reacted, parts of the armour shifting and assembling itself until the mirror on her arm expanded to nearly three times its previous size. The mirror began glowing, drawing power from the sun overhead.

“Oh?” Miina noticed what Haruka was trying to do. She watched with great interest, her churning stomach tossed to the back of her mind. Ryoko smirked as she watched the transformation on the screen. “She can change her Armed Gear’s structure? Not bad of a design, my protégé…” Even Uruha stopped her distracted tapping and mumbling. “…A blinding attack?”

**> SNOWBLIND<**

“Svalinn, please!” Haruka yelled as she let loose a burst of pure light, the beam bouncing off the glass of the surrounding buildings to intensify into a spotlight on the Noise. The beams converged on the green panel where the creature’s face presumably was, making the creature writhe and struggle, stumbling backwards before falling into a sitting position. “Now!” Haruka yelled to her teammates, who had their eyes covered to block out the blinding light.

“Gotcha!” Misaki was the earlier of the two to respond, her hammer glowing green as she charged the Slaughter-class. Luna leapt after her right after, her scythe reeled back for a strike.

**> CRASHING/LIGHTNING<**

**> BREAK TIME: MARK OF THE MILLENNIUM<**

The girls’ attacks approached the fallen Noise, and were just about to connect when…

“Misaki-san! Luna-san! Look out!”

The sudden warning yell from Haruka came as too little, too late. Just before Misaki and Luna’s blows struck, the Slaughter-class got up and swung its arms down onto the two, slamming them hard into the ground.

“Shit!” Miina couldn’t help but curse as she watched her students get slammed from 10 metres above the ground into a crater. Uruha’s breath hitched and she slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream. On the screen, the dust cleared to reveal Misaki and Luna lying in the crater, cracks starting to appear on their suits and cuts all over their bodies.

“Haruka-kun! Defend them!” Genjuuro quickly barked into his communication set.

“U-Understood!” Haruka responded quickly for someone who just saw her teammates get smacked out of the sky. She quickly rushed over to put herself between the girls and the Noise just as the monster swung its arm again for a second strike. Haruka caught the blade with her gauntlet, but the momentum made the ground under her crack and collapse slightly.

“Sorry…” Luna groaned as she got back up, the daze from the Slaughter-class’ strike starting to fade. Beside her, Misaki also pulled herself off the ground groggily, just as the Noise lifted its arm off Haruka.

“Fall back!” Luna quicky grabbed her friends and dragged them back, attempting to put some distance between them and the monster.

The Slaughter-class observed the three girls as they jumped back, just out of its reach. Slowly, it started stomping over to them, intent on properly destroying them this time.

As the bladed arm swung down on the girls for the fourth time, Luna forced her aching body to move, swinging her scythe to meet the Noise’s blade. The edges clanged and showered sparks over Luna, who strained to hold her ground. Her body screamed at her in pain as her arms shook under the weight of the Noise’s blow. Seeing her friend tank the strike, Misaki also reacted. Her hammer charged with purple electricity as she began spinning it above her head. Once the hammer had built up sufficient momentum, she flung the weapon towards the distracted Noise.

**> RATTLING/BOLT<**

The electrified hammer made a beeline towards the Noise, connecting with the side of its head. However, the blow did little more than make the creature’s head reel to the side, electricity sparking where the hammer struck.

“What?!” Misaki felt her body run cold as her hammer returned to her hands. Even that blow did barely anything to faze the Noise. Could they even beat this thing…?

“Shit! Is Miss Sunshine done yet?” Miina yelled desperately.

“Negative! Tsubasa-san is still engaging the Slaughter-class in Tokyo Bay, and several Blight-class Noise have appeared alongside it!” Fujitaka replied.

“Dammit..”

Uruha felt a chill spread through her. She needed to do _something_ , or her seniors were going to die. She stared back down at the red gem in her hands, trying desperately to channel the “song of her heart”, as the commander put it. _I spent all this time scared of everything…when everyone else is risking their lives out there…_

“Grr…how long before the evacuation is completed?” Genjuuro asked.

“Another ten minutes! The evac team is scouring the area for stragglers!”

“Commander, they can’t last another 10 minutes!” Miina yelled, as a scream from the girls sounded through the video feed as they were blasted into the air by a heat blast from the Noise.

_I don’t know what I have to fight for…why am I even here…?_

“Commander, they need to retreat now! It’s too much for them!”

“Hush, Miina. We can’t pull them out and leave the situation unchecked, not with possible civilian casualties,” Ryoko chided.

“They’re going to die if this keeps up! They’re just kids!”

That last statement broke through Uruha’s hazy mind. _They’re going to die if nobody does anything…if only there was more…_ She stared at her pendant. She had a Symphogear right here…if she can just activate it…she can…

The gem twinkled for the briefest of moments, and Uruha gasped as she was hit with a wave of visions: a stocky, lean man hunched over a body with countless spears protruding from it; the same man facing down a woman in a black veil, shining red spear in hand…

The visions stopped as suddenly as they came, sending a wave of dizziness through Uruha. She sucked in a deep breath to calm herself, just as another explosion sounded from the video feed.

“Evacuation still needs another 5 minutes!”

“They’re on their last legs! The Slaughter-class is too much for them!”

“Dammit!” Miina cursed. “If only we had more hands on deck…”

The hissing of the command room door drew the attention of everyone in the room, many turning quickly to the entrance. To Genjuuro and Miina’s shock, they saw Uruha dashing out of the door.

“U-Uruha?!” “Uruha-kun! Where are you-” Genjuuro quickly grabbed his mic and switched his audio feed to the base’s PA system. “Uruha-kun, where are you going?”

Uruha dashed down the corridor, her mind frazzled and just barely registering the voice over the intercom. “I-I don’t know…!” she yelled desperately. “But…I-I can’t sit here! I need to help them!” Despite her yelling to nobody in particular, the sensors over the base picked up her voice and fed it back to the command centre

“Uruha…” Miina felt her hands shake. That girl was trying to overcome herself…

“Interesting~” Ryoko smiled to herself. “Sakuya, open up the Nagato elevator.”

“H-Huh?” Fujitaka was confused at the sudden order. “You don’t mean to…?”

“Exactly what I mean. You don’t have any objections, right, Genjuuro-kun?” she turned confidently to her commander and friend.

Genjuuro stared at the main screen, part of the video feed now showing Uruha in the corridor. “…Open the elevator and prepare to send her up as quickly as you can,” he intoned.

“Commander…” Miina bit her lip as Uruha reached the elevator, which opened and accepted her in without missing a beat. She grabs her own headset and connects it to the intercom.

“Uruha…are you sure? You will have no more take-backs. You will have to fight until the Noise are defeated. You could die. Do you truly want to walk this path?” she asked seriously.

“…I still don’t know. I’m scared of dying, but since Misaki-senpai and Luna-senpai and Haruka-senpai are with me, I want to help them. I want to fight to save them, so they can save the world.” Uruha’s eyes held a determination she never held since stepping into Section Two.

“Uruha…” Miina couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. She was really getting attached. “I see, good luck Uruha. Let them hear the song of your heart. Be loud, be proud.”

Uruha nodded, then gripped her pendant tightly as the elevator launched her up at high speed. The pendant began shining with a radiance not unlike the shining gems on the girls on the battlefield right now.

“Phonic Gain increase detected! Sakagami-chan’s Phonic Gain is spiking!”

“She’s awakening~” Ryoko chuckled.

The elevator reaches the surface, sliding open to the street, where Haruka held her ground blocking a strike from the Slaughter-class, Misaki and Luna desperately supporting her from the back to hold their ground.

**_=Hieben…Gae Bolg Sacrae…Ment Tron~=_ **

A burst of turquoise light shone from the open elevator, drawing the attention of the girls and even the blinded Noise, whose vision was returning. The burst of light soon became a streak, bursting out of the elevator and straight towards the Noise. The streak impacted the side of the Slaughter-class’s head, sending it reeling and releasing the other girls from their pin under its blade.

“Huh…?” Haruka gasped as the pressure from above her lifted, her arm screaming in pain from the earlier strain. She registered a soft “Who…?” from Misaki stumbling beside her, the taller girl also gaping at the reeling monster, and the streak of light that struck it. The light was slowly fading to reveal…

“U-Uruha?!” Luna gasped.

Uruha fell to the ground, landing smoothly on her feet. She was now clad in a turquoise bodysuit with white and aqua armour. A set of headphone-like headgear hugged her ears, a spear nearly as long as she was tall held in her right hand.

**< Aufwachen Waveform Pattern Detected: Gae Bolg> **The usual announcement rang through the command centre.

“She awakened…” Miina breathed, watching the video feed with Uruha front and centre, staring at the Noise.

“Phonic Gain has stabilised! …Wait, these values are…!” Aoi gasped as she read off the statistics on her terminal.

“This is why the UN insisted on having her on the project…” Penny, who had been silent this whole time, mused to herself.

Back on the battlefield, the other girls were slowly getting up, staring in awe at their junior who was now in her own Symphogear.

“Uruha…” Misaki reached over to tap her shoulder, but before she could touch Uruha, the girl did a little jump and cheer.

“Aaaaaand we’re up! Let’s get this!” Uruha’s voice lost its usual tremble, replaced by a more energetic, cheerful tone.

“Uruha-san…?” Haruka didn’t know Uruha all that well, but it was obvious that there was a strange change to her mannerisms. Misaki and Luna blinked in confusion, staring first at Uruha, then at each other.

Uruha turned to her seniors and winked. “We’re gonna finish this and clear this stage no problem! Just follow my lead!”

“Uh…” Luna quickly shook her surprise. This wasn’t the time for it; they can figure this out later. “Indeed!”

Haruka and Misaki gave each other a confused look, but quickly tensed up and focused back to the front as the Slaughter-class got back up.

“Spread out! Haruka-senpai, focus on prepping your ice attack to stop it from moving! Luna-senpai, Misaki-senpai, flank it on both sides and distract it! I’ll take the front!” Uruha quickly shouted before launching towards the monster.

“Gotcha!” Misaki and Luna, while surprised by their shy junior’s assertiveness, leapt into action quickly, taking either side of the Noise. Haruka, meanwhile, gripped her gauntlet with her other hand, mist starting to wisp off the armour.

Luna and Misaki swung their weapons at the Slaughter-class with a yell, Luna dodging a wide swing from the Slaughter-class, and struck either side of the Slaughter-class’s head. Meanwhile, Uruha dashed between the monster’s legs, aiming a slash across the Noise’s left leg, cutting where the Achilles tendon would be.

The Noise, dazed from Uruha’s earlier strike and confused from the simultaneous attack, pause momentarily from the strikes. This was more than enough to give Haruka an opening.

“Take…this!” Haruka shouted as a burst of cold fired from her gauntlet.

**> THE BLUE<**

The street froze solid in seconds, the ice creeping up the Noise’s legs and keeping it in place. The Noise struggled against its bonds, but the ice was thick and held fast.

“Now! Hit it with all you’ve got!” Uruha shouted.

“Roger!” “Gotcha!”

Luna pointed the shaft of her scythe towards the Noise, the weapon restructuring itself into a cannon. Light particles filled the barrel as she took aim. On the other side of the Slaughter-class, Misaki spun her hammer as hard as she could muster, the hammer becoming a glowing ring of purple light above her head.

Uruha got in a low stance, a turquoise glow building up in her spear tip.

**> BLAST TIME: ASTRAL HEAT CALAMITY<**

**> RATTLING/BOLT<**

**> COMET SPARKLE<**

“EAT FLYING STICK, BITCH!” Uruha yelled as she flung her weapon.

The three girls unleashed their attacks at the same time, a huge beam blast from Luna, a shining burst of purple as Misaki flung her hammer, and a blue streak from Uruha as she threw her spear, the weapon tracing a blue contrail like a comet.

The attacks struck the Slaughter-class dead on, Uruha’s spear and Misaki’s hammer tearing through its bladed arms as it lifted them in an attempt to block the strikes. The attacks exploded on contact, sending a shock wave and dust cloud that shook the surrounding buildings and even shattered a bunch.

When the dust settled, the Slaughter-class Noise stood stock-still in the middle of the street. Its arms were held up from when it tried to block the attacks, the blades broken in half and chipped all over. Its entire head had been blown clean off, with the point of separation tattered like an old curtain. As everyone watched, the Noise slowly disintegrated into ash, from the point where the damage was dealt down to its frozen legs.

“…Slaughter-class in Nagato neutralised! Tsubasa-san has also neutralised the threat in Tokyo Bay!”

“They actually pulled it off…” Miina felt the tension melt from her body as they watched the Slaughter-classes on the screen disintegrate.

“Aw, did my protégé not have faith in her students? Surely I taught you better than that~?” Ryoko poked Miina’s cheek playfully.

“It’s not exactly that…”

Genjuuro let out his trademark booming laugh. “Congratulations, girls! Return to base for debrief!” he instructed over his headset.

“…Roger” Tsubasa’s reply came over the headset.

“Um…Roger, commander!” Haruka’s nervous reply came as well.

Meanwhile, Luna and Misaki had surrounded Uruha, hugging her almost to death.

“That was amazing, UruUru!” Misaki cheered, the pain in her body forgotten as she coddled her junior.

“You did amazingly! You conquered that Noise like Heracles conquered his Twelve Labours!” Luna was rubbing Uruha’s head.

“Ehehe…you guys softened it up for me, senpais,” Uruha replied cheerfully. Haruka finally spoke up to address the elephant in the room, or rather, street, that everyone was ignoring.

"...Um. Sakagami-san?" she asked timidly. The other three girls broke their group hug to look at her. Okay, the sudden attention was kind of uncomfortable. Nonetheless, Haruka powered through.

"Are you, um, feeling all right? Is your Gear giving you a lot of...images? Memories? You're acting strange…"

“Hm? I’m feeling fine?” Uruha tilted her head. “Thanks for the attention though!”

“Now that you mention it, Uruha is acting out of sorts…” Luna mused as she examined her junior.

“Nah, UruUru has just been hiding her heroic self the whole time! Like in shounen anime where the protagonist hides his true strength!” Misaki hopped around excitedly. Haruka wryly thought that she would feel that hit her in a few hours.

Uruha, meanwhile, was looking increasingly nervous. “Right…e-explanation…” Her voice wavered a little, and Luna finally realised that her voice when she was fighting was purposefully rougher and deeper than the small girl’s usual soft and high tone.

“Is this, um, something like a split personality…?” Haruka guessed while mentally kicking herself for the ridiculous suggestion. Uruha shook her head immediately. “Nothing like that…” she trailed off thoughtfully. After a moment, she took a deep breath. “Well, let’s just start with introductions.”

“Huh?” The collective confusion from the other three made them chorus their surprise.

Uruha skipped a little, then struck a pose with a victory hand sign next to her face.

“Konruha~ Shining like the morning sun, it’s Asahigawa Uruha~” she cheered. Haruka stared on in confusion, while Luna’s face lit up in recognition and Misaki was struggling to remember where she heard that from.

Uruha dropped the pose and fidgeted nervously. “…At least, that’s how I introduce myself as a vtuber…”

“You’re Asahigawa Uruha?!” Luna’s yell surprised everyone. “I’m a big fan! I never would have expected she was this close! This is truly a grand surprise!” She got really close to Uruha and began shaking her hand.

“…This is kinda embarrassing…” Uruha chuckled nervously.

Misaki smacked her fist into the palm of her hand as she finally recalled. “Oh! You’re the one LuLu keeps watching on YouTube?”

Uruha gave a victory sign again. “The one and only! Well, it’s kinda violating the rules to openly say it…”

Haruka continued to look around in confusion. “So, um…from what I can understand, this is like an, um…online persona?”

“Close enough,” Uruha was finally released from Luna’s enthusiastic handshake.

“I…see…” Haruka was still foggy on what a “vtuber” is, but that’s another conversation she can have later. “Ah, um, maybe we should go back now?”

“Oh, right!” Misaki perked up. “I’m actually really tired from all that…” she realised.

“Let us return and celebrate our triumph!” Luna announced.

“Right!” As Uruha joined her enthusiastically, her Symphogear suit suddenly glowed blue and dissipated, leaving her in her usual Lydian Academy uniform.

“…” Uruha froze in place as the others looked on. Slowly, she lowered her arm and turned around to a pile of rubble. Then, as the rest continued to stare, she quickly ducked behind the rubble and curled up.

“I-I actually did that in r-real life…oh n-no, I-I’m sorry~~~” she started panicking.

“…Huh?” If Misaki’s brain wasn’t overloaded before, it definitely was now.

“Um, Uruha-san?” Haruka approached the younger girl.

“I-I’m sorry for acting so cocky! I-I tend to get like that when I-I put on headphones for streaming, a-and th-the S-Symphogear m-made me f-feel like I c-could do it and so I…ueh…”

Haruka looked to the other two girls for help, only to see they were just as confused as she was. A beep over their headsets drew their attention.

“Girls, just bring Uruha-chan back for now. We’ll explain the rest in the debrief~” Ryoko’s singsong voice instructed.

“Roger, sensei,” Luna replied without missing a beat, approaching her junior who was still curled up and picking her up princess-style.

“U-Ueh?” Uruha let out her trademark sound as she was suddenly lifted by her senior.

“Now, let us depart!” Luna dramatically announced and began walking back to the deployment elevator.

“W-Wait up, LuLu!” Misaki began chasing her friend. Meanwhile, Haruka sighed and started to pace after them. They were…colourful characters, to say the least. _I guess that means I can capture some nice moments from them…_

————————————————————

Project Forte Personnel Files

Name: Sakagami Uruha

Age: 15

Birthday: 22nd December 2027

Height: 145cm

Weight: 40kg

Profile:

Uruha is a first year student at Lydian Academy, whose shyness is extreme to the point of social anxiety. By day, she tries to avoid attention and get by. By night, she dons the persona of Asahigawa Uruha, a popular virtual streamer. She behaves very differently on stream, being quite energetic and impulsive. As Asahigawa Uruha, she's signed under the popular virtual streamer company XDLive, engaging in streams of all sorts from gaming to singing.

Her anxiety stems from her childhood, where her mother raised her alone and was extremely strict and harsh with her education. She came to fear face-to-face interactions and also developed an ability to read microexpressions as a result of reading her mother throughout her life.

Despite this, she's a gentle soul who cares deeply for those who come to open her heart, and her efforts as a streamer come from her wish to overcome her own anxieties.

She was identified for her extremely high Phonic Gain when tests were conducted for Lydian students to search for candidates for Project Forte. Despite Miina’s best efforts, she was unable to get Uruha off the program despite knowing the girl is not emotionally capable to participate.

Section Two has begun paying special attention to her background, as her mother is deeply involved with the Japanese Ministry of Defense. This information has only been shared with the highest authorities within Section Two.

She is the user of Gae Bolg, a Symphogear with a spear-type Armed Gear. As a Symphogear, she adopts the same mannerisms as her streamer persona. Gae Bolg's full powers are yet unknown, but records from lore suggest that its powers are closely linked to water.


End file.
